Blood Moon
by ForEverTopaz1901-2
Summary: Desperately fleeing an abusive relationship, Bella moves to Forks looking for a fresh start. As she's about to give up on happiness, a strange family helps her realize her true worth and more. E/B Rated T for Suggestive Themes and Violence
1. Escape Hatch

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.**

Chapter 1: Escape Hatch

I stared into the mirror, eyes wild and wet. I didn't look like myself anymore and hadn't in such a long time. My fingers brushed the fresh gash beneath my left eye, smearing the blood across my face.

"I'll never hurt you again, Bella," he had promised me. "I'll go get treatment. I'll do anything to make this work. I love you." His icy blue eyes had been so convincing. But that was about 6 months ago.

The rain pounded on the window sill as I grabbed a few more essentials and stuffed them into a beat-up duffel bag. I didn't have enough time to get all of my things, and probably never would. But I didn't care. This was my one and only opportunity to do what I needed to. And if I didn't get out now, I knew deep down I wouldn't survive this.

Clutching the red-eye plane tickets in my jacket pocket, I took a deep breath. My ribs ached, and I was sure some of them were cracked. I wasn't much for praying, but I was sure as hell begging whatever God would listen to keep Allyn from waking up.

Allyn's snores were a comfort as I crept down the hallway, my heart racing. The smell of liquor burned my nose as I neared the living room. He was in a kneeling position, knees on the floor and upper body on the couch. He had tripped over the coffee table while attempting to take another drunken swing at me. He must have passed out as soon as his head had hit the cushions.

I took another deep breath and continued to creep towards the back door. Just an hour ago, I had tripped and sent Allyn's last beer flying into the grass. He was so preoccupied with beating me that he didn't know he had knocked it right off its hinges. He also had no idea that he had given me an escape hatch.

I had tried to run a few times before, sure that his excessive drinking would knock him into a deep enough sleep that he wouldn't hear a window opening or a creak of a door as it opened. Much to my dismay, his eyes would snap open, and the fists would resume their swinging.

My right foot crossed the threshold, then my left. I was finally outside. My heart was beating in my ears as the rain pounded my aching body. I guess I had better get used to a near constant downpour.

I glanced back for a brief moment at the man I used to love so deeply. The corner of his mouth was glistening as he drooled. His once blemish free face was flushed. The brown hair that was once shiny and thick was now dull and lifeless. The deep purple circles under his eyes were as prominent as ever. Despite his frequent naps after ingesting too much liquor, he never appeared well-rested anymore.

"What have you done to yourself, Allyn?" I used to ask him. He would always just roll his eyes, take another swig of alcohol, and throw an insult my way. I knew for sure now that I would never learn the answer.

I closed my eyes, a strange energy washing over me. I realized that feeling was freedom. I sprinted as fast as my body would allow. I slipped in the mud once or twice but kept launching myself towards the taxi parked a couple of houses down. The headlights were off, just as I had instructed over the phone.

I practically dove into the backseat. "Drive," I begged, slamming the door shut.

The cab driver cleared his throat, his eyes full of concern as he stared at me through the rearview mirror. "Where to, miss?"

"The airport. I have a flight in 30 minutes." My voice cracked. I was still shaking, my breath coming out in wild gasps.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take you to a hospital?" he asked, obviously uncomfortable. I couldn't imagine how I looked to him. Bruises, black eyes, and gashes had become the norm lately.

"You'll be helping me more by just getting me to the airport as fast as you can". I hoped that was enough to keep him from prying further.

Thankfully, it was. The street lights began to blur as he picked up the speed. I had been clutching the straps to my duffel bag so tightly that my knuckles were stiff and white. It was over. I watched as the place I used to call my home disappeared through the sheen of the rain, never to be seen again.

I used to despise Forks, but I now wished more than anything that I had just moved there during my junior year. I loved the sun, the heat, the busy city of Phoenix too much and changed my mind last minute. Forks didn't have any of those things to offer me.

But now, I would rather spend the rest of my life in eternal darkness than spend another minute here.


	2. Home

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.**

Chapter 2: Home

Once I got to Forks, all I wanted to do was run home. But Charlie was going to be shocked enough as it is. If I showed up in my current state at two in the morning, he'd probably have an aneurysm. I checked into a run-down motel, hoping to catch some sleep. I was insanely unsuccessful. The room smelled of stale bread and cigarette smoke and the heater was broken. My entire body ached; I wondered if I had more than just a few cracked ribs and a black eye.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get comfortable enough to even doze off. The mattress had springs that poked through into the bedding, leaving me sprawled in an awkward position, avoiding tetanus.

I gave up and gathered my toiletries, hoping a steaming hot shower would help. Of course, the water never went over room temperature. I carefully dried myself off, wincing as I reached the darkening bruises all over my torso. I glared at myself in the mirror. The white of my left eye was now extremely bloodshot and a disturbing purple color had spread over my nose. I guess I hadn't realized how hard he had punched me. I groaned internally, dreading Charlie's reaction.

It was 5:30 am. I dressed as hurriedly as I could. I needed to get to the house before Charlie left for his usual Saturday fishing trip with Harry Clearwater. I called for a cab; luckily the service wouldn't be busy this early in the morning.

About 15 minutes later, an orange and blue Chevy Impala with "TAXI SERVICE" sloppily painted on the side pulled up in the parking lot and honked the horn. The cab driver wasn't nearly as friendly as the one who had taken me to the airport in Phoenix. In a way, I was happy about that. I didn't want to answer any questions about my appearance or put effort into idle chat.

He pulled up to Charlie's house in silence. I reached into my bag and counted the cash for the fare. He took it and mumbled what I assumed was a thank you. As I got out, I slowly stood up, my ribs and back protesting. _Please don't slip and fall, Bella_ , I begged to myself.

I stumbled up the stairs onto the front porch. I felt as if little glass shards were cutting my face and neck as the freezing rain poured down on top of me. I knocked on the door, my teeth chattering. I pulled the collar of my jacket upwards, tucking my chin.

There was a scuffling sound coming from inside, followed by a cough. The doorknob jiggled, and finally swung open.

Charlie was wrapped in a blue robe, his dark hair sticking up every which way. He only had one eye open and a 5 o'clock shadow. Clearly, I had woken him up.

"Hi, Dad," I mumbled, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

He rubbed both of his eyes furiously as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing? "Bella?" he said gruffly. "What happened to you? Get inside."

Charlie grabbed my duffel bag off my shoulder and held the door as I ducked under his arm and into the warm house. A shiver went down my spine.

He opened the coat closet and took a wool blanket off of the top shelf. "What's going on?" He took my rain-soaked jacket and draped the blanket over my shoulders, gesturing to the couch.

I sighed as I carefully sat down, trying hard not to wince in pain for Charlie's sake. "It's a long story."

"Well good thing I've got time. Start talking, Bella."

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you I was coming here," I said. "I had to ditch my cell phone." I explained about having to keep everyone in the dark about my leaving Phoenix, even my mom. I couldn't risk word getting back to Allyn. My condition would have been ten times worse if he had learned my plans.

Charlie knew that Allyn had moved in shortly after Renee went to Jacksonville to be with Phil. That was about a month after I had graduated high school. Things were fine for the first few weeks. They were almost perfect.

I had left out a few details that probably would have partially explained why things had changed so suddenly, but I wasn't ready to talk about those specific events just yet. I didn't know if I would ever be. It didn't matter. There was no excuse for Allyn's actions and I certainly wasn't going to start making them for him.

The drinking started around summer time. At first, it was just a few beers here and there. Then it turned into vodka and Red Bulls every night with beer in the morning to take the edge off the hangover. "You can't be hungover if you're still drunk," he would say to me.

He had violently shoved me in an intoxicated rampage after he lost his job, which only made things worse. Charlie's hands balled into fists as I continued on with how much more abusive Allyn had gotten. On my 19th birthday, he had punched me square in the face and broke my nose. Now it was January, and a few bruises here and there turned into broken bones.

Before Charlie could ask why I hadn't left sooner, I recalled every time I had tried to run. Whether it was through the front door, back door, bathroom window. . . Allyn always woke up and beat me mercilessly.

Charlie was silent, just staring at me. His eyes were full of a burning concern and fury. I couldn't imagine how he felt right now. I felt guilty for keeping him in the dark.

I dropped my head and played with a loose thread on the edge of the blanket. "I'm so sorry, Dad. I hate to show up like this," I whispered.

"Isabella Marie Swan, don't you dare apologize to me for this," he snapped. "Did you call the police?"

"I did. Twice." I felt anger boiling inside me as I remembered the judge ordering anger management classes in return for the domestic assault charge to be taken off of his record. "I was going through a really tough time. His lawyer was able to use that against me."

According to the final verdict, I had forced myself backward and through a picket fence, breaking two ribs and cracking my head open. I was so incredibly depressed due to an event I refused to allow myself to remember that I had apparently done all of that to myself with no help from Allyn. It was a "cry for help" as they had put it.

"The second time they wouldn't take me seriously. It was thrown out," I concluded. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. There was no point in mentioning how badly I paid for that second trial.

Charlie's eyes flashed with fury. "They let him go? They blamed _you_? Who was the officer that was on the scene? Who was the judge? And I want the name of that lawyer-"

"Dad," I interrupted. "I don't want to get into it. It's behind me. I'm here and I'm safe. I don't want to deal with any of this anymore. I need a fresh start. Please don't do anything rash."

"Don't do anything rash?!" he boomed. "That lowlife has been beating you for months! I could kill him!"

"Calm down, please. I just want to start over." I stood up and immediately winced. "I'm fine, Dad. I really am."

He took a deep breath and reached out to hug me. I wrapped my arms around him, surprised by the sudden flow of emotion. It had been so long since I had felt protected or cared about. I had forgotten what that was like.

"You still haven't told your mother?" he asked, his voice gruff. I wondered if he was choking back tears.

"No. She knew things weren't going well, but I never told her the extent of it all." Renee wouldn't have been able to handle it rationally. I was still trying to figure out the best way to tell her.

"Bella," Charlie protested.

"I'll tell her. I promise. I just need some time to sort this out in my head."

"Fine," he sighed. "I'm going to get dressed. Then you and I will be going to the hospital so you can get yourself checked out. I don't like the color your eye is turning."

"I'll be okay. I don't need to be seen, it probably looks worse than it is."

He let out a curt laugh. "You do not want to fight me on this one, Bella. Don't think I haven't noticed how slow you're moving."

I nodded in defeat. Charlie stomped up the stairs, mumbling what sounded like profanities under his breath.

When he returned, he was in full uniform, keys to his cruiser in hand. Another wave of emotion flooded over me as he opened the front door, revealing the sheen of pounding rain. I used to hate Forks so much. But right now, for the first time in a long time, I didn't feel like I was living in my own personal hell. I felt like I was home.


	3. Hospital

**A/N: Hello everyone! My 3-month-old is going through a growth spurt and is sleeping a lot, so I actually had time to post another chapter so soon. I am having a root canal done tomorrow, so it may be a little bit before I post the next one. Wish me luck! Make sure to review and let me know how you're liking it!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.**

The ride to Forks Community Hospital was relatively quiet, aside from Charlie occasionally mumbling under his breath and white-knuckling the steering wheel. No doubt he was cursing Allyn. I tried my best to ignore it.

When we reached the hospital, Charlie pulled around to the back. Ambulances were lined up in a row, parallel to the rear entrance. Towards the front of the row, there was a parking spot labeled "FORKS POLICE". There were certain perks to being the police chief's daughter. Now I didn't have to go through the front and endure anyone staring at me in the waiting room.

Charlie helped me out of the car. I wobbled a bit, and he put his hands on his shoulders to steady me. "I'll get you a wheelchair."

"Please don't," I begged. "My lack of coordination has always been a problem." He pursed his lips. He knew I didn't inherit my clumsiness from Renee. He nodded once, and lead me through the sliding doors.

A girl who couldn't have been any older than I walked towards us. She was relatively tall with long, light brown hair and a very kind looking face. She wasn't in scrubs, just a casual purple crew neck, and blue jeans. "Hi, Chief Swan," she said. "We've been expecting you!"

"Hey there, Angela," Charlie replied, slightly waving. "Still volunteering, I see?"

"Yes, sir. They've been pretty understaffed. I try to help out as much as I can while I'm on break." She smiled and gestured behind her. "I have a room all ready for you. We just have to get some x-rays first."

It took me a minute to realize she was speaking to me. "Oh, thanks."

Charlie turned towards me, looking as if he was either going to start crying to start throwing things. "I'm going to make a few phone calls. I'll be right here when you're finished." His eyes grew misty.

I nodded and attempted to smile. It hurt my cheek, so I'm sure it ended up being a grimace. He sulked off towards the waiting room.

Angela smiled at me again as we started walking down the hall. "Isabella, right?"

"Bella," I corrected.

"It's nice to meet you, Bella. I'm Angela."

"Nice to meet you too." I kept my head down, paying extra attention to keeping one foot in front of the other. I wasn't really sure what else to say to her. Thankfully, she didn't seem to know what else to say either. Unfortunately, I had surpassed shy over these past couple of months. I had practically forgotten how to socialize with another human being.

Angela handed a clipboard to an elderly woman in green scrubs who I assumed was the x-ray technician. The hospitals that I was accustomed to usually had radiology wings, but Forks was so small that the "wing" was simply a partitioned corner of the main hall.

Full body images had been ordered, which I assumed had a lot to do with Charlie's influence since my vitals hadn't even been checked yet. That made the process extremely easy. All I had to do was stand there in the dark behind a black curtain while the machine whirred, snapping pictures of my potentially broken bones.

Angela returned, retrieving her clipboard from the technician. We walked further down the hall in silence.

She stopped abruptly at a room just across the hall from the x-ray corner. "Here we are, Room 2. The doctor will be in very soon," she said as she jotted something down on the charts she was holding. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks," I mumbled.

Once she left, I immediately regretted not at least attempting to say more. She probably thought I was incredibly rude. I sighed, frustrated with myself. _What a way to begin your fresh start, Bella._

I groaned as I tried to get up onto the examination table. My pain level seemed to have grown significantly now that the adrenaline was no longer pumping through my veins. A part of me wanted to just curl up into a ball on the floor and sleep. I knew if I did that, I'd probably end up on a 5150 hold.

"Good morning, Miss Swan," a voice said from behind me.

I whipped around and nearly tipped completely over. My heartbeat doubled its pace. I felt the blood fill my cheeks as I stared at the person in front of me.

The man was maybe in his mid-twenties with blonde and perfectly quaffed hair. I couldn't imagine his skin could get any paler, but it was so flawless, like porcelain, and painstakingly beautiful. Even though he was wearing a white lab coat, he looked like he belonged in a magazine. His lips were moving, but I was so incredibly dazed that it took me a moment to understand that he was speaking to me.

I blinked a few times, just to make sure he was even real. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I'm Dr. Cullen," he said, chuckling softly. "I apologize for startling you."

I continued to stare at him. He probably thought I was an imbecile incapable of speaking. But it seemed that no matter how hard I tried, words just wouldn't come to me. Usual rules for social introductions had just gone out the window.

His eyebrows pulled together, clearly worried. _Great,_ I thought to myself. _What a wonderful impression I must be making._ "I'm so sorry," I finally said. "I'm very tired."

"I'll be as quick as I can, then you'll be free to go home and rest," he said, his tone warm and comforting. His gloved hands reached for my face and I froze as I was able to get an even closer look at his features. They were perfect and completely proportionate. His eyes seemed exhausted, but were the strangest shade of gold I had ever seen. It was almost inhuman.

Dr. Cullen gently prodded the area around my left eye. His hands despite the latex gloves were absolutely freezing. I pulled away slightly, the cold shocking my skin. I wondered if I had developed a stress or exhaustion related fever.

"I'm so very sorry, the heater doesn't have a lot of kick in this part of the hospital." His eyes sparkled. "What's that saying? 'Cold hands, warm heart'?"

I tried to return the smile as he resumed his examination. "My Gran used to say that to me all the time." In a way, the cold against my face felt nice. It was the equivalent of an ice pack which I should probably try when I got home. I grew dizzy, realizing I had stopped breathing for a moment.

"Are you having any trouble with your vision? Or feelings of extreme fatigue?" Dr. Cullen asked casually.

"No. I am sleepy, but I also have been awake for 48 hours," I admitted. While I was tired, I wasn't nearly as exhausted as I probably should have been. He nodded, his lips coming together to form a thin line.

When he reached a spot by my left temple, I unintentionally jerked away and gasped. "Tender?" he asked.

I nodded. "A bit."

Dr. Cullen cleared his throat and sat down on a nearby stool. "I took a look at your x-rays. You have a left orbital rim fracture Three cracked ribs and one broken rib . . . you're very lucky that there weren't any splinters. Quite a few contusions as well. It will take about six weeks for your ribs to heal and about ten for the eye socket. I recommend at least a week of bed rest to make sure your ribs align themselves properly." He folded his hands neatly on his lap. "Are you going to tell me what happened to you, Miss Swan?"

Here we go. "I fell down a flight of stairs." Usually, I hated lying. But how hard was it for people to understand that I just wanted all of this behind me?

"I can't help you if you don't tell me the truth, Isabella," he said matter-of-factly.

That struck a nerve. "It's Bella." My voice was surprisingly icy. "Why does it matter, Dr. Cullen? Is telling the truth going to miraculously heal my injuries?" I felt my cheeks turn hot, my eyes welling up with angry tears.

His eyebrows raised at my tone. "If someone has hurt you, don't you feel justice should be served?"

My hands were shaking and my ears were burning. I couldn't believe I was getting so angry over this. But why couldn't he just let this go? He didn't know me from Eve. Why should he care?

"Bella," he said, his voice soft. "I received your medical records from the hospital back in Phoenix."

 _Oh no_ , I thought. I hoped that he had just skimmed through my numerous emergency room visits, one visit in particular, like most other busy doctors with minimal staff members and too many patients. Something about the look on his face told me that he was not that kind of doctor. Something told me that he read absolutely every word . . . and that he knew everything.

"I see that your injuries have grown more severe and more frequent over the last six months. I just want to make sure that you know that you're cared for and you're safe here."

I looked down at the floor. I waited what felt like a full minute before responding. No sense in taking my strange fit of rage out on him. "Are we finished? I'm really exhausted."

"Just one moment." He reached into his coat pocket and handed me a business card. "If you need to talk to anyone, my wife has just opened her own office not too far from here. She's a family counselor. I'm confident she will be able to help you if you decide you need it."

The card was white with three little trees on the top left corner. ESME CULLEN, LPC was printed in extremely elegant green script. I sighed. "Thank you, Dr. Cullen."

He nodded once and started scribbling something on my chart. He ripped it off of the clipboard and handed it to me. "Here is a copy of your visit summary and a list of instructions for your bed rest. I want you to come straight here if you have any trouble with your vision or start getting headaches." He looked back up at me and smiled. I felt horrific for the tone I had taken with him. "Make sure to schedule a follow up in about four weeks so I can make sure things are healing properly. I hope you feel better, Bella."

I walked out of the room, refusing to look at Dr. Cullen again. Charlie was standing just outside the sliding doors of the rear entrance. He extended one arm out to me and proceeded to lead me to the police cruiser.

"What's the verdict?" he asked. I handed him the crumpled visit summary. I hadn't realized my fists had been clenched.

He sighed. "These injuries are pretty serious, Bella." I didn't respond, pretending I didn't hear him. I got into the passenger side seat and buckled up.

Once we reached the highway, I found myself stuck in a vortex of green as he drove us both home. The trees ran together, appearing conjoined by mushy bright moss and vines. I became lost in thought, almost hypnotized. I wished there was a way that I could successfully convince Charlie that my injuries were far worse on the inside. My broken bones and bruises were nothing compared to my shattered heart.

I didn't miss Allyn. I wasn't upset in the slightest that I had left. I had broken my own heart by allowing this to go on for so long. I knew there was no sense in wallowing in regret for not just moving to Forks sooner. It was as if I didn't know how else to feel. Maybe my brain was protecting me from other feelings.

When we had finally returned home, Charlie helped me into the house and up the stairs. My room must not have been touched since the last time I was here. My purple comforter with flowers embroidered on the sides was still draped over my twin sized bed. Terrible drawings were still hung up on the walls and children's books were on the shelves. It felt nice to be reminded that I was oblivious and knew no evil back then.

I eased myself onto the bed and let out a deep breath I hadn't realized I was holding. Charlie plopped a little silver block onto the comforter next to me. A cell phone.

"Time to call your mother, Bells."

I sighed and nodded. I still hadn't figured out what to say to her, but I also understood the horrible position I had put Charlie in. Renee would probably be incredibly upset that I hadn't decided to move to Jacksonville instead. But in all honesty, Allyn would have expected me to do that. He knew how much I hated the rain. Forks was the last place he would think to find me if he were to ever go looking. All I could do was hope that Renee would understand.

"Alright," Charlie said abruptly as he cocked his Smith & Wesson handgun. "Tell me where he lives."


	4. Freedom

**A/N: Hello everyone! Thanks so much for the positive feedback. It makes me really happy to see the favorites and follows on this story. Review!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.**

A week of bedrest was miserable. And _long._

Much to my dismay, I had spent about 80% of it trying to talk Charlie off the ledge. I wasn't much for manipulation and certainly wasn't any good at it, but it seemed to have the desired effect on him when I would play up my injuries and loneliness to ensure he wouldn't leave the house.

The other 20% was spent calming down Renee. During all of our conversations, I had to hold the phone about a foot away to protect my ears from her high-pitched screeches. "How dare you not tell me about this, Bella!" she had screamed. "I knew I shouldn't have left you behind! I never liked that boy! I can't believe this!"

"Mom, I swear, I'm fine now," I had said about a thousand times. I had to have sounded robotic after saying those words so many times in a row. It took an entire day to convince her that she didn't need to fly up here. I had told her Charlie was taking extremely good care of me and that I didn't want her to see me like this. After I had gotten her somewhat calmed down, I had changed gears and convince Phil that using a baseball bat as a weapon was not in their best interests.

As time passed, Charlie seemed to grow more furious by the minute. And that was hardly an understatement. I assumed the initial shock had worn off from me plopping myself on his doorstep looking the way I had. Now, he was almost constantly beet red in anger.

But, my time on bedrest was up, and I planned on using my newfound freedom to prove that everything was going to be alright. Of course, laying in a bed for that long had rendered me fairly dizzy and weak which was to be expected. While I may not be as convincing today, I still had to start somewhere.

My first plan of action? A shower. A real, hot shower. It was fairly close to what I imagined heaven to be like. I had been stuck with daily sponge baths for those seven days. I took care of that myself. I figured I would spare Charlie the horror of having to help his 19-year-old daughter keep up with her hygiene.

I carefully put on my favorite pair of sweats. I wasn't really in any pain. Or maybe my pain tolerance had increased by an alarming amount and I just didn't notice. Either way, I was thankful.

After half-heartedly yanking a brush through my wet hair, I caught a glimpse of my face through the steam on the mirror. You could barely tell that I had been brutally attacked last week. Now, my black eye looked more like a dark circle from exhaustion. I was surprised by how much better that made me feel. It was like seeing a shadow of my former self. I couldn't remember the last time my face was free of bruises.

It was Saturday and I half expected Charlie to be heading out for his weekly fishing trip. Much to my confusion, he was on the couch in his blue robe watching what I assumed was ESPN. His face was still a deep shade of red. I wondered if he would ever return to a normal color.

"Hey, Dad," I said, paying extra attention to each step as I made my way down the stairs. "No fishing today?"

"Morning, Bells." He took a sip of coffee, but it was clear that it hadn't really kicked in yet. His eyes were still swollen from sleep. I sat down in the recliner across from him. "I don't go fishing anymore."

"What? Why?" I asked, shocked.

He sniffed and looked down at his lap. "My fishing buddy had a heart attack last year."

I gasped. "Harry died? I'm so sorry, Dad. I didn't know . . ."

"Don't worry about it," he said, holding a hand up to stop me. "We haven't had much time to talk the past couple of years."

I suddenly felt horribly guilty. Not only had I severely neglected my family, especially Charlie, I was continuing to put them through hell with my current situation. My throat burned.

"How about you and I go fishing?" I suggested.

Charlie's eyes shot open wide and his jaw dropped. Maybe he didn't need the caffeine anymore after all. "What did you say?"

"Why don't we go fishing? It could be fun. We have a lot of things to catch up on." Charlie remained silent, still dumbfounded by my offer. I sighed. "I feel awful that you've had to take care of me all week and I am sorry I just kind of dropped my problems on you the way that I did. It's the least I can do."

"Do not feel guilty about any of that, Bella. You know I am more than happy to have you here and stay as long as you need to," he said, his face growing redder. "I'm not happy about the circumstances, of course."

"So . . . is that a yes?"

He snorted. "You just got off bed rest, Bella. And you hate the cold and the wet. Fishing in Forks is a whole lot of both."

"You just sit and cast the line out over and over, right? No big deal. I'll be fine."

He waved his hand, dismissing me. "I appreciate the gesture, Bells. Really I do. I'll get back into fishing one of these days."

I nodded, sighing. He was right. I probably would despise fishing. I brainstormed a few other ideas to find a way to say I was appreciative. I stood up and headed towards the kitchen. "I'll make a good breakfast for you instead, then."

"You really don't have to do that. Just because you're off bed rest doesn't mean you're healed. Don't push yourself, Bella."

I ignored him and continued on in my search for ingredients. To my surprise, there was nothing but a box of Cheerios, a half a gallon of milk, one egg left in the carton, and more frozen meals than a human being should probably have.

"I don't have much of a choice, do I?" I said, laughing. "Is this all you eat?"

He grunted. "What's the matter with Jimmy Dean? You got your meat in there and some dairy. Plenty of protein. It's good stuff. Perfectly adequate for one person."

I rolled my eyes and turned to glare at him. "How about you drive me to the grocery store and I pick up some things? I used to do all the cooking back in Phoenix anyway."

"Please tell me you didn't learn your cooking skills from your mother."

"Of course not. I learned from watching Emeril and Bobby Flay, of course. The Food Network is extremely informative. I'm practically a professional," I joked. I could swear I saw a hint of a smile. The red tinge in his face seemed to dissipate the slightest bit. "Please? I have a terrible case of cabin fever. It'll do me some good to get out of the house."

"Alright," he sighed. "But we make it quick and come right home, deal? I don't want you hurting yourself."

During the short drive to the Thriftway, Charlie was silent. Neither one of us had ever been particularly talkative, so the quiet wasn't uncomfortable. And for the first time, it wasn't somber or negative.

I was happy that he was starting to destress. I could tell he was still incredibly worried, but I couldn't blame him. Things weren't going to go back to normal anytime soon and I had accepted that.

The grocery shopping trip was short. Having been in bed for so long, I didn't have a whole lot of energy. I simply grabbed the basics and that seemed to be just fine with Charlie. He occasionally would glance over at me as if he was worried that I would pass out or something. My legs felt like Jell-O as I explored the aisles, trying to get used to the layout. I had tried to cover up the intense fatigue as much as I could, but Charlie could see right through it. I could tell he wasn't comfortable with me being out and about just yet. Frankly, I regretted it. I shouldn't have been so quick to throw myself back into the swing of things.

The pain had returned by the time I threw together some ham and cheese omelets. I truly looked forward to getting off of my feet. Charlie couldn't have been more right. I definitely wasn't as healed as I thought.

We sat down at the dinner table to eat together, which was something I could tell was pretty foreign to Charlie. I wondered how long it had been since he had company here. Or how long it had been since he had even sat down to eat somewhere other than the couch.

Charlie devoured his omelet in what felt like under a minute. He leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh of content. "That was delicious, Bells."

"Thanks, Dad," I said. I gathered our plates and rinsed them off in the sink. I wasn't really up to putting in any effort into washing them. "So I was thinking," I mused, sitting back down. "Will you help me look for a car?"

"A car?" Charlie said. His tone was slightly higher; I could see I had surprised him.

"I'm going to look for a job around here and I've saved up some cash. I just have no idea where to start."

Just as he opened his mouth to protest, I heard a car pull into Charlie's driveway. He looked at me and smiled before he got up to open the front door.

My heart began to race and a lump formed in my throat. I felt a sheen of sweat begin to cover my forehead as I shook in pure terror. _He found me._

I leaped off my chair to run and tell Charlie not to go outside, but I was too late. I was also incredibly wrong.

"I sort of already got you a car, Bells," he said. My jaw dropped.

There was a pick-up truck parked behind Charlie's police cruiser. It was a very faded red color and had to have been at least 50 years old. It was practically a tank.

The boy who was driving it hopped out onto the gravel. He was incredibly tall, at least six feet, and very attractive. I was pretty amazed that he even fit behind the wheel of that Chevy as his muscles resembled that of a bodybuilder. He had short, glossy black hair and russet skin. No doubt from the reservation. Even though it had to be no more than 15 degrees outside, he was wearing an extremely tight t-shirt and jean shorts.

As the boy walked towards us, I couldn't help but notice how graceful he was. It was odd considering his height. Once he reached the porch, he grinned and reached out to me for a handshake. "You probably don't remember me. I'm Jacob Black."


	5. Warmth

**A/N: Hello! Again, I want to thank everyone for so many positive responses. I apologize that the chapters aren't any longer. I work solely around my 3-month-old's schedule. But I will try my best to make the chapters a bit longer or at least update more often.**

 **If you guys haven't already figured out, this is basically Twilight completely reimagined. It will pretty much be the length of the book, just with a completely different plot line. And just like I did with my old account (check it out if you haven't already), I love to hear any ideas from my readers for future events and will definitely credit you if I use them! Anyway, let me know what you think!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.**

"H-Hey," I stuttered, nearly frozen in shock. "So, you're saying that this truck is . . . _mine_?"

"Do you like it?" Charlie asked.

"Like it? I love it! It's perfect!" I threw my hands around him. "Thank you so much, Dad."

"Well now," he said, embarrassed. "It's nothing." He gently patted me on the back. I pulled away and put on my raincoat.

As I nearly ran towards the truck, I slipped on a patch of ice. I braced myself for the intense pain I was about to feel as I tumbled backward towards the concrete, but two arms reached out and swept me up just in time.

"Whoa," I gasped. Jacob looked down at me, his dark eyes full of worry. To my surprise, heat radiated from his bare skin, even through my thick raincoat. The cold became almost nonexistent. My protesting ribs slightly relaxed from the warmth.

"Still clumsy, I see?" he said. "My sisters really weren't kidding when they would talk about how big of a klutz you were back in the day."

"I'm so sorry." My cheeks grew hot. "Thank you." He set me down gently, keeping one hand on my shoulder to make sure I was steady.

Charlie let out a low whistle. "Nice catch there, Jake. Bella, please be careful. You nearly scared me to death. We don't need any more hospital visits."

"You were in the hospital?" Jacob asked. "Are you okay?" I caught him glance towards my fading black eye.

I shot a disapproving look at Charlie. "I fell down a flight of stairs," I lied. Charlie's eyes narrowed once he realized what I was doing. Even though I was a bit angry that he mentioned my time in the emergency room, I was glad that he had kept the rest of the details to himself. "I'm fine now, though."

I continued on towards the truck, moving much more carefully this time. Jacob stayed close; I was sure he was thinking I was about to fall again. I hopped into the truck to get a better look, running my hands over the leather on the bench seat. This couldn't be a better truck for someone like me. I was surprised how much I really loved it.

"I know it doesn't look like much, but I've completely rebuilt the engine and it runs great," he reassured me. "Just don't go over 55, trust me."

"It's really perfect." I turned to look at him. He was casually leaning on the side of the truck, completely unfazed by the temperature. "Aren't you cold?"

Jacob snorted and rolled his eyes. I suddenly felt like I was missing some sort of inside joke. "Nope. It doesn't bother me at all."

"Jealous," I muttered. "Well, I'm freezing. Would you like to come inside?"

His face lit up. "Yeah, that would be great!"

Once we made our way inside, I thought I could hear Charlie on the phone with someone. I slipped off my raincoat and boots, turning to face Jacob.

"I made omelets for breakfast. I can whip up another one if you're hungry?" I offered. It had been so long since I had entertained a visitor. This would be a good way for me to warm up my socialization skills.

"Naw, I don't want to be any trouble," Jacob said, waving his hand dismissively.

"No, it's no trouble at all." That was kind of a lie. My close encounter with the concrete had seemed to intensify the fatigue I had already been feeling. But I wanted so desperately to get back to normal that I had decided to push through it. Plus Jacob looked like the type of person I could really become friends with. "Is ham and cheese okay?"

"Perfect. Thank you, Bella." He sat down at the table while I started on his omelet.

"So how old are you now? 16, right?" I asked casually.

"17 actually." He hesitated, grinning. "As of today."

I whipped around and gasped. "Happy Birthday! Oh, I feel horrible now. You're giving _me_ a truck for _your_ birthday. I wish I would have known. I would have gotten you something."

He laughed. It was a very pleasant sound. "You're making me an omelet! I love food, so this is probably the best present I'll get! Besides, you're doing me a favor by taking the truck actually."

I cocked an eyebrow. "How so?"

"I haven't had the room in our garage to finish building my Volkswagen Rabbit. Until now." He smiled. "It's been sitting there for almost two years. It's a great truck, don't get me wrong. But I sure am glad it's out of my way."

"In that case, I'm glad I could help," I said, laughing. I was surprised at myself. I hadn't been this talkative in a long time. And even more shocking, I _wanted_ to keep talking. I set his plate down in front of him and joined him at the table.

"Bella?" Charlie appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. "I just got a call from the station and they would like me to come in. I don't want to leave you here if you don't think you're up for it."

"I'll be fine, Dad. Take as long as you need." I shot him a reassuring smile.

"Alright," Charlie said, unsure. He ran his hand through his thinning hair, clearly uncomfortable. "I won't be long. If you need me, call me." He turned to Jacob and pulled out a card from behind his back. "Happy Birthday, kiddo. Thanks a ton for bringing the truck here on such short notice."

"No problem! I was just telling Bella that it was doing me a favor. Thanks for the card, Charlie." Jacob turned to me. "I can stick around and help you if you need me to, Bella."

It was truly amazing how nice he was. Jacob was practically a stranger to me. I had grown up with his sisters and never had much interaction with him when we were little. Having someone be so selfless was truly refreshing. Strangely, I didn't want him to leave.

"No, I don't want you to have to spend the first part of your birthday stuck with me. You should be out having fun," I protested.

Jacob popped another mouthful of my omelet into his mouth. "But this _is_ fun." He swallowed. "Seriously, Bella, I really don't mind. Even if you just need someone to keep you company."

Spending any time alone hadn't even crossed my mind. Charlie was going to have to go back to work some time, so my being here by myself was inevitable. The thought was actually horrifying. Given how I had reacted when I had heard the truck come into the driveway, I felt that alone time was something I should avoid for the time being.

I nodded in agreement. "Thank you, Jacob."

"Good," Charlie said. "That's settled then. It'll make me feel better knowing you're here to take care of my girl. It'll give you two kids some time to catch up too. Remember, don't hesitate to call me if you need me, Bells." Charlie slipped on his boots and waved us goodbye, shutting the front door behind him. I felt a strange sense of calm as I heard the door lock.

Jacob and I chatted about his family while he finished his breakfast. He informed me that his father, Billy, was now wheelchair-bound due to his worsening diabetes. My truck was actually Billy's, but since he was now unable to drive, it had been sitting in the garage taking up Jacob's workspace. Jacob's sisters, Rachel and Rebecca, had both graduated from college and were married. Rachel had a baby on the way which excited Jacob; he loved kids. He didn't get to see them very often at all. But he was also extremely against leaving Forks for any length of time. I decided not to press for any reason why.

As I stood up to take his plate, I hesitated. My torso was screaming in pain. My joints seemed to lock in place, rendering me stuck in a half-sitting position. I let out a deep, steadying breath as I attempted to stand up straight.

"Are you alright?" Jacob was at my side almost immediately. "Here, you sit down. I'll take care of the dishes."

I didn't even have the energy to really argue with him. I just nodded and proceeded to sit back down. "I'm sorry. I know I'm pathetic." My voice came out sounding whinier than I would have liked.

"Oh, please. You are _not_ pathetic. What happened to you anyway? That must have been one nasty fall."

I snorted. "Yeah, you could say that." Jacob was staring at me, waiting for more answers. I could see that I wasn't going to get away with pretending not to hear his questions. The best I could do was to keep things vague. "When I fell, I cracked some ribs. It's not as bad as it looks. I was on bed rest for a bit, so I'm trying to get the hang of walking."

"Huh," he said. I could tell he knew that there was more to it. But thankfully, he didn't press me any further. "So, what brought you to Forks? I was really surprised when Charlie called us to buy the truck for you. We had no idea you were coming."

"It was more of a surprise, really," I said. "Just wanted a fresh start."

Jacob smiled as he dried his hands off. "Okay, if you say so."

I returned his smile and simply shrugged my shoulders. He was obviously seeing right through me. Deep down, I wanted more than anything to spill my guts to Jacob. He was such a warm person, someone I could really use as a friend. Maybe the time would come where I felt comfortable enough to talk to him about it all.

It wasn't like I didn't trust him, but I didn't want him to think of me differently. I didn't have a lot of friends back in Phoenix, but the ones that I did have had slowly disappeared as things with Allyn escalated. I felt they thought lesser of me for sticking around. I had never felt more misunderstood in my entire life.

I didn't think Jacob would be anything like that. But I didn't want to risk it for now.

My eyelids were starting to get heavy and a feeling of dizziness washed over me. "I'm not feeling well all of a sudden," I admitted. My legs were shaky as I stood up to head towards the living room. Not only was my torso the problem, but now, every bone in my body was screaming. "I think I am going to get some rest."

"Do you want some help?" He was staring at me, his eyes worried. His hands were partially outstretched as if they were ready to catch me.

"I'm a big girl. I can walk to the living room all by myself. Watch," I said. My feeble attempt at humor seemed to amuse him.

I concentrated on walking towards the couch more than usual. It would have been even more embarrassing if I tripped after weakly bragging at my ability to walk on my own. Once I reached the couch, I sat down carefully. I turned to Jacob and flashed what I hoped was a convincing grin.

Jacob laughed as he joined me in the living room. "Nice job, I'm so proud!" he joked, holding his hand up for a high-five.

Without meaning to, I immediately cowered against the couch. A knee-jerk reaction to his raised hand. My heart began to race and I suddenly felt very clammy and cold. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, the humiliation slowly crept up to show itself in my traitorous, tearing eyes.

I could swear I heard Jacob whisper something along the lines of "oh no". His hand had shot backward as if I had electrocuted him. The look on his face was full or pure horror. I guess I didn't have to tell him anything about what had really happened now. My behavior told him all he needed to know.

Before either one of us could say anything, my stomach churned in the worst possible way. I took off towards the bathroom, throwing my head into the toilet to vomit.

"Bella!" Jacob was immediately behind me, holding my hair back. "I'm calling Charlie."

I groaned and rested my forehead on the seat. "Please don't," I croaked. "It's probably nothing."

I felt one hand on my neck and another on my forehead. "Oh my god," he whispered. His skin didn't feel nearly as warm as it had when we were outside. Maybe I had imagined the temperature of his skin earlier.

The hand that had been on my neck disappeared. In my peripheral vision, I could see him pull his cell phone out of his pocket. "Definitely not nothing. You're burning up."

 **A/N: If you haven't already noticed, cliffhangers are my thing :)**

 **Just a side note, Allyn is based on a very real person. A lot of the events Bella goes through as a domestic violence survivor are also based on some very real struggles. So hearing the positive feedback really does mean the world to me!**

 **And yes, the rest of the Cullens will be making an appearance very soon.**

 **Review and tell me what you thought!**


	6. Fear

**A/N: Hello again. This chapter is a lot shorter than the rest. I will try my best to get the next one out by the end of the week. I've got a busy couple days ahead of me!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.**

It had taken me a good ten minutes to convince Jacob not to call an ambulance. I threw what was awfully close to a temper tantrum, but I wasn't the least bit regretful. Normally I would have been embarrassed since we didn't really know each other that well and my behavior was fairly ridiculous. But I was adamant about not going back to Forks Community Hospital any time soon.

Jacob had managed to bribe me into surrendering. We had agreed that he wouldn't call an ambulance and would take me to the hospital himself. In return, as soon as Charlie met us there, he would leave and actually celebrate his birthday instead of boring himself to death with me and my seemingly never-ending issues.

"Why do you hate hospitals so much? Are they really that bad?" Jacob asked.

"Needles," I mumbled. It wasn't technically a lie. But it certainly wasn't the whole truth. The main reason was that I wanted to avoid seeing Dr. Cullen again. I didn't want to give him another chance to try and pry the truth out of me. Thanks to my medical records, he already knew much more than I wanted him to.

Jacob let out a curt laugh. It was a very noticeable change in attitude. "Needles, huh? I'm positive you know that there are worse things out there than needles." He shot me a glance out of the corner of his eye, watching my reaction.

I knew he was referencing my instant cringe after he had raised his hand for a high five earlier. Instead of me slapping my palms to his like any normal person would have done, I cowered and braced for a painful blow that wasn't even coming.

I ignored him. That was simply another topic I didn't want to get into either.

We drove the rest of the way in an awkward silence. My dizziness had increased dramatically along with my fatigue. I was having a hard time breathing, but I certainly didn't want Jacob noticing. I spent the rest of the ride trying to inconspicuously suck the appropriate amount of air into my lungs, praying I wouldn't pass out.

Once we reached the hospital, I could see Charlie frantically pacing in front of the entrance. He came running to the passenger's side and flung open the door before Jacob could even come to a complete stop.

"Dr. Cullen is waiting for you. I wanted to make sure you could be seen immediately." All of Charlie's words ran together. He was clearly in a panic. I groaned internally. "I'll go get you a wheelchair."

Charlie walked off before I could even protest. I tried to suck in another breath but wasn't very successful. No matter what I did, I couldn't seem to get enough oxygen.

"Thanks for taking care of me. Sorry I messed up part of your birthday," I breathed. My stomach churned again.

"You didn't mess it up, Bella. I really liked talking to you." Jacob grinned at me, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. He put his hand on my leg and gently squeezed. "Let me know when you're feeling better."

"Don't worry about me." My voice was weak. I sounded as if I had just run a mile. "Go have fun." That was all I was able to manage in my deoxygenated state.

Charlie returned with the wheelchair. His eyes widened as soon as he saw me. "How long have her lips been that color?"

"Not long at all, maybe thirty seconds. Bella, are you alright?" Jacob said, his hand still on my leg.

I braced myself, holding onto the dashboard of the truck as my head spun. I just shook my head, unable to come up with a response.

"Let's get her inside, Charlie," a voice said from somewhere to my left. It was familiar, though I couldn't place my finger on where I had heard it before. The tone was kind and gentle, but with an edge of urgency.

"Thanks, Dr. Cullen," Charlie said from behind the wheelchair. A pair of freezing cold hands had lifted me up and into the wheelchair in an alarming amount of time. I wondered if I had lost consciousness for a few seconds.

As I was wheeled away, I caught a glimpse of Jacob. He was glaring at something in my general direction. His usually warm and inviting face had grown cold as ice, full of pure hatred. Before I could ask what was going on, my vision faded away.

There was an annoying beeping sound somewhere to my left. I felt tubes in my nostrils and a cuff around my right bicep. I focused on trying to open my eyes, but there were just so heavy. Confused, I racked my brain for ideas on what could possibly be going on. I must have passed out before I made it through the entrance to the hospital. I wondered how long I had been out.

My chest ached with every breath and my throat was on fire. I wanted to cough, but couldn't seem to muster up the energy. Swallowing was also a lot more difficult than I remembered. I could sense the presence of someone else in the room with me. Something told me that it wasn't Charlie.

My eyes opened, revealing the most beautiful person I had ever seen. He had perfect features, a chiseled jawline, and flawless, pale skin. His untidy hair was a strange shade of bronze. I would have assumed that he was an angel and that I had died. But if I were in heaven, I wouldn't be this uncomfortable.

I attempted to reach out and touch his face, but my hand wouldn't budge. As a matter of fact, I couldn't move anything at all. As my vision began to focus, I was met with nothing but fear. The man's upper lip was curled upward into a snarl. Dark, bruise-like circles were beneath his cold and pitch-black eyes. He was most definitely _not_ an angel. He was something much more sinister.

Intense drowsiness washed over me very suddenly. I struggled to keep my eyes open, horrified of this figure that was leaning over me. The beeping on the heart monitor grew more rapid as my eyes closed, despite my trying to keep them open. Before the darkness took over, I heard the strangest sound.

He was growling.

 **A/N: There you have it! Review!**


	7. Stress

**A/N: Hello readers! I know, I am mean for that cliffhanger. But here you are :)**

 **Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Twilight or any of its characters.**

"When will she wake up?" The worried voice sounded so far away and distorted, like I was submerged in deep water and someone was speaking to me on the surface.

"I'm sure it will be soon. Her vitals are great, oxygen is back at 99. She will be just fine, Charlie," another voice reassured. There was a clicking noise close by.

As I grew more coherent, an uneasy feeling washed over me. And I felt as if I had woken up from a horrible nightmare. But I couldn't even begin to recall what it was about.

"I'll be back to check on her in a little while." The clicking stopped. What I assumed were footsteps faded away.

My head was pounding. The throbbing pain was even in my ears and eyes. There was some sort of hard and plastic-smelling mask over my mouth and nose. I worked on trying to move my hand to take it off, but it wouldn't budge.

I tried to remember what had happened. The only memory I had was of Jacob's face as I was wheeled away somewhere. It was so angry . . . an expression that simply didn't match his sunny personality. Had I said something to upset him?

No, that couldn't be right. I don't think I was capable of speaking at that point. There was a missing piece of my memory. I couldn't for the life of me grab hold of it.

I tried again to move my hand, but all I accomplished was a twitch of my pinky finger. An unpleasant gargling noise filled my ears.

"Bella?" It was Charlie again. But this time, his voice sounded much closer and significantly clearer. "Bella, can you hear me?"

 _Yes_ , I thought to myself. I tried harder to move. Thick, bevelled fabric felt foreign to the tips of my fingers as they slowly unfroze. I grabbed hold of the fabric, willing myself to move.

I lifted my incredibly stiff right arm and smacked the mask off my face. My eyes fluttered open as I heard that gargling sound again. It took me a moment to realize that it was coming from me. I was groaning.

I blinked furiously trying to clear the fog. Charlie's figure grew more distinct. "Dad?"

"Yeah, honey, I'm here. Are you alright?" He was wearing his uniform and looked like he hadn't slept in days. The red tinge in his skin was deeper than ever. I wondered how long I had been out.

"Sore," I croaked. My throat felt like it had tiny shards of glass embedded in it and my chest ached. While I didn't remember much about how I was feeling before I passed out, I am certain I didn't feel nearly as awful as this. "What happened?"

"You've been out for four days." I couldn't tell if he was about to cry or if he was just exhausted. He took a deep breath to steady himself before continuing, but looked away as someone walked in. It was Dr. Cullen.

"Good to see your eyes open, Bella. You gave us quite a scare."

I simply nodded, fighting to keep my eyes open. I sighed and quickly regretted it. I grabbed at my chest. "Ow," I groaned.

"Are you feeling any tightness or sharp pains?" Dr. Cullen asked. My eyes shot open as I felt freezing cold fingers along my neck. I hadn't even realized that they had closed.

"Aching." That was all I could manage. I desperately wanted to clear my throat but knew I would hate myself for it.

Dr. Cullen nodded. "Yes, that's to be expected." His smile was soft and empathetic. "We had to perform CPR. Luckily it was very brief, so nothing was broken."

I blinked wildly. CPR? Why would I have needed CPR? I watched as Charlie's eyes glazed over. I could tell he was traumatized by whatever he had seen.

"Bilateral pneumonia and sepsis," Dr. Cullen explained. "It's very common in patients with fractured ribs." He flipped through some pages on his clipboard and wrote something down on my chart. "You were admitted with a temperature of 104 and in severe respiratory distress before you even made it through the door. It was a close call, but you will be perfectly fine."

I stared at him, confused. How could I have gotten so sick so fast? I felt fine until halfway through the grocery shopping trip.

I'm sure my eyes glazed over as Dr. Cullen discussed his theory on the "high-stress environment" which must have weakened my immune system. I couldn't tell if he was fishing for more information.

Surprisingly, Charlie had respected my privacy and did stay mum on the subject although he really didn't need to. It was obvious. Much to my disliking, I was slowly starting to accept that.

"It's hard to say how long it will take for a complete recovery, but I strongly suggest a very low-stress routine for the next few weeks to give your body some time to regulate itself," Dr. Cullen concluded.

"She knows that. Don't you, Bella?" Charlie said. His look and his tone were final. I really didn't have the strength to argue. There would have been no point to it anyway. I didn't have any friends here and there certainly wasn't anything to do.

I nodded and threw Charlie a weak smile, conveying that I understood.

"Well, let me go and find your mother," Charlie said with a sigh.

"Mom's here?" My eyes watered as my throat stung.

He rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged, clearly uncomfortable. "I called her. Things weren't looking so good when you were first admitted." He turned on his heel and proceeded out of the room alongside Dr. Cullen.

I had to admit, normally I would have been furious at Charlie for calling my mother. But I had wanted nothing more than to see her. Allyn didn't like it when I spoke to her on the phone and I had only seen her once since graduation. But that was only for a very awkward dinner on Christmas Eve, which was coincidentally Allyn's birthday.

Of course, she would have had no way of knowing that anything was wrong at that point in time. I had made the house practically immaculate, clearing up the evidence of the violence that had occurred the night before.

I had to do the same to myself, nearly using an entire container of matte concealer on two matching black eyes alongside cherry red lipstick to cover a very angry welt on my mouth. Renee had immediately caught on once she saw my appearance. While she didn't know exactly what was going on, she definitely knew something wasn't right. Before the abuse started, you couldn't have paid me to where lipstick.

Allyn drank vodka from a water bottle in the bathroom and drowned his clothes in cologne to remain inconspicuous. He proceeded to put in an enormous amount of effort into appearing sober, which only made the situation even more uncomfortable. He cracked jokes that weren't even the slightest bit funny and seemed to forget basic table manners. Both Renee and Phil had thrown me a few looks of concern that I quickly dodged, choosing to make myself appear busy with washing dishes or rearranging decorations.

Even then, I wanted nothing more than to throw my arms around my mother and beg her to take me with them. But I was drowning in depression. I guess I felt that I had deserved it.

"Oh, Bella!," my mom squealed as she hurried to my bedside.

I ignored the intense pain that washed over me as I lifted myself up to bury my face in her neck. I inhaled her scent, having missed it so much. "Mom," I breathed. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, baby," she said, choking back tears. "We've been so worried about you!"

She pulled away. If I had the strength, I would have pulled her back to prolong the hug. I settled for taking her hand instead. "I'm so sorry. I was so scared. I couldn't say anything."

"You got away from him. That's all that matters." Renee dropped her gaze and looked around the room. She was keeping something from me. Charlie even shuffled his feet uncomfortably from the doorway. Something was definitely up. And they were both in on it.

"What's wrong?" I asked, expectantly. The monitor above my head dinged as my heartbeat dramatically increased.

"Nothing, honey," Renee insisted. "We are just very tired. I guess we are having a bit of an adrenaline crash now that you're awake and okay. Right, Charlie?"

"Oh. Yeah." Charlie cleared his throat, suddenly pretending to be distracted by something in the hallway.

"I just can't believe you went through this all by yourself. I can't imagine how strong you had to be to get through something like that." Renee was changing the subject. I let it go, hoping that what was really wrong would eventually come to light. "I knew something wasn't right about that boy."

I nodded, not really wanting to get into it. "I wish I had known before I got involved." I kept it simple. My blunt statement was also technically a lie.

While there was no way I could have predicted the turn of events, there _was_ a reason for his change in behavior. It wasn't like he became violent and angry out of nowhere. I knew what had happened, but I wasn't going to dare tell anyone.

"Where's Jacob?" I blurted out, hoping that the subject would just drop off. More for my sake than theirs. I had promised myself I wouldn't ever think of what had happened again. "He drove me here, didn't he?"

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Long story short, Billy and Jacob have an issue with . . . some of the staff." His voice had lowered to almost a whisper. "The Quileute reservation isn't all that welcoming to newcomers."

"Newcomers? He was fine with me, wasn't he?"

"It's not you, Bells," Charlie reassured me. "And you're not technically a newcomer. You were born here. I'll go into it when we get home." He glanced behind his shoulder as if he was nervous that someone was listening. "Jacob has been asking about you though."

"I think you were right about making Forks your home for a while," Renee interrupted, clearly not as intrigued as I was.

I couldn't have been more surprised. The only person on the planet who probably hated Forks more than I did was Renee. I stayed silent, staring at her in disbelief. I could see Charlie felt the same as me.

"Well, you're much safer here than you would have been in Jacksonville. You were smart to come here." Her bottom lip quivered. "I just want you to know that we would love for you to visit us as soon as you feel like it's safe, okay?"

"No problem, Mom," I said. She smiled while Charlie dropped his gaze to the floor. I couldn't imagine how hard it must be for him, seeing her here. It made me the slightest bit uncomfortable now that I could see that he had never really gotten over her.

I wondered if that day would ever come. If I would ever feel "safe" again. I didn't have any friends close enough to keep tabs on Allyn while also keeping my location secret. Then again, I honestly hoped that maybe he just hated me so much that he would be glad I'm gone and never come looking.

"If you ever tell anyone, I'll kill you. And that's a promise I'll actually keep," he had said to me a few days before I left. Sadly, part of me actually wanted to tell someone, even if he did kill me. Maybe that would have been a cowardly way to go, but death would have been a better option. And if that door hadn't been knocked off its hinges, then death probably would have been the only outcome.

"You think she's sleeping?" It was my mom. She was whispering. Everything was completely dark. It took me a moment to realize my eyes were closed.

"Yeah, she's out." That was Charlie. There were a couple of soft shuffling noises before the whispering continued. They must have gone to stand outside of my room. "The doctor was very clear about how she needs to stay calm for a while. I don't know how we are ever going to pull this off, keeping this from her."

"Has she said anything about him reaching out to her at all?" Renee asked. I craned my head the slightest bit, hoping to get a better listen.

"No, she said that she had to ditch her cell phone. She was scared that he would track her somehow."

"What are we going to do, Charlie? Surely he wouldn't come here looking for her."

"All the investigator said was that no one had been home in well over a week. He had to bust the door down." Charlie let out a shaky sigh. "He took pictures. Apparently there was a coffee table that had been snapped nearly in half, the back door was on the kitchen floor, and there was some blood spatter in the hallway."

Renee gasped softly. "I can't believe this." She was crying now. "How could the police have let this go on?"

"We think the investigator has enough to put him away. He tracked down the cab driver that picked her up that night. He gave a statement. They have an APB out on him, but they've been looking for days. They can't find Allyn anywhere."

 **A/N: Review!**


	8. Stranger

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.**

Over the past two days, it had become extremely difficult to pretend to be ignorant of current events. Allyn had left the house in Phoenix and he was nowhere to be found. I tried to convince myself that he had decided to move back to California to be with his family. Or maybe he had moved on. I thought of any scenario that didn't include him looking for me.

But every bone in my body told me that that's exactly what he was doing.

Not wanting to worry Charlie and Renee, I simply didn't speak often. It was easy to blame my aching throat and chest. They bought it without a second thought. In reality, I wanted to talk about it more than ever. I wanted to be able to tell someone that I was scared. But I had already made things so much harder on them. They didn't deserve to have to feel worse because of me.

I had even considered leaving, maybe spending my life on the road until I was sure Allyn had gotten bored and found something else to occupy himself. While I didn't think I was putting Charlie in danger by staying here, I certainly wanted to spare him the consequences of what could potentially happen on his watch. Truth be told, the last thing I wanted was to be alone.

I headed towards the back doors where Charlie's cruiser waited for me. I was finally being released with strict instructions to monitor my temperature, drink lots of fluids, and to come back to see Dr. Cullen next week for a follow-up. Now that my immune system was temporarily deficient, I was having to take extra precautions. One of which was to try and avoid being out in the rain . . . in the wettest place in the entire United States. My wish for a fresh start had definitely come with a few kinks.

The sliding doors opened and the cold air shocked my skin. I pulled my collar up to my chin, shivering. Charlie was behind the wheel of the cruiser, preoccupied with something towards the road. I had started to walk towards him until movement caught my eye. That's when I saw him.

The mousy brown hair, leather jacket, and paint-stained jeans were impossible to mistake for anyone else. Allyn was standing between a pair of ambulances, casually leaning against the side of the one on the left. Those piercing blue eyes that used to bring me comfort now bore into my skull as I began to back away, my breath coming out in strangled gasps. He pushed off of the side of the ambulance and started towards me, fists clenched. My racing heart pounded in my ears as I frantically stumbled backward, smacking into something cold and hard behind me.

I caught a glimpse of the person I had run into out of the corner of my eye. Thankfully the stranger backed away almost immediately as I brushed past him.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

I gestured towards the parking lot with a shaking hand as I continued to retreat. "He's here, th-there! Please, you have to help me!"

"Who's here?"

I froze, realizing that I was pointing at nothing. My hand fell back to my side as confusion washed over me. There was no one standing near the line of ambulances. In fact, the lot was completely deserted with the exception of a very worried looking Charlie who was still waiting.

I turned around, realizing that I hadn't actually looked straight at the stranger I had bumped into. My breath caught in my throat as I took in his appearance. I had seen this boy before, but couldn't pinpoint from where. And that was certainly odd considering the liquid gold eyes and untidy bronze hair would be very memorable.

"Should I get the doctor?" he asked. His dark, perfectly shaped eyebrows came together in concern.

"Um," I stammered. My face turned hot. "Did you see anyone standing over there?"

He glanced towards the parking lot, shaking his head. "No, I didn't. Let me go and get Dr. Cullen," he said as he started to turn away.

"No, don't." I reached out to try and stop him, but he practically jumped away from me. His nostrils flared as he clenched his jaw. He must think that I am a complete lunatic. That may not be too far from the truth now that I was seeing people that aren't there.

A lump formed in my throat. I wanted more than anything to cry but knew that would probably make me seem even more unstable than I already appeared. "I'm so sorry," I mumbled, dropping my gaze to the floor in embarrassment. "I'm just tired I guess."

Despite what felt like days of sleep, I _was_ exhausted. And now that the adrenaline and pure terror was wearing off, I felt drained of all energy. I allowed myself to fall back against the wall to brace myself, waiting for my heart rate to slow to a normal pace.

Even though I may have crossed into full-blown psychosis, I couldn't have been more relieved. I'd rather hallucinate for the rest of my life in place of the alternative.

The boy continued to stand there, staring at me. The silence was unbelievably awkward, but I didn't know what to say. I couldn't understand his expression. It looked as if he was disgusted by me somehow, but at the same time, there was worry in his topaz eyes.

He cocked his head to the side. "You're Isabella Swan, aren't you?" The tone of his voice was bored like he knew the answer to the question.

"Bella," I corrected. "How did you know my name?"

He smirked. "I work here."

I simply stared at him, confused. He was more than likely younger than I was. Not to mention he also wasn't in scrubs or a lab coat. He was wearing a beige sweater and blue jeans, both of which were undoubtedly expensive. I wondered if he was a volunteer like Angela.

His amusement faded quickly, probably thinking I was also incompetent in addition to being insane. "I am in the medical program at Peninsula College. I get my credit hours here." He spoke slowly as if he were making sure I could understand him.

"Oh," was all I could manage.

The strange boy continued to stand there, staring at me. Something in his eyes flashed and his neck craned the slightest bit away from me. He shoved his hands into his pockets, but I could still see that they were clenched. His stance and the almost sinister look on his face made a shiver go down my spine. Then, it clicked.

It was him. That beautiful but terrifying person standing over my hospital bed as I fought consciousness just a few days ago. The snarl. The cold and empty black eyes. The _growl._

"You," I breathed, my eyes widening. I attempted to back even farther away. My palms pressed flat against the concrete wall, hoping I could just disappear straight through it. While his eyes were gold now, I was certain they had changed color. There was no mistaking it.

"Me?" He took another step back. It looked like he was holding his breath.

"You were in my room. When I was first brought in, you were standing over me. You were-"

"Excuse me?" he said, cutting me off. He was obviously very alarmed by my accusation. "I have not been here. You were very sick. You must have imagined it."

"No, I didn't."

He rolled his eyes. "I can assure you that it was not me."

"Unless you have a twin, it was definitely you. Except your eyes were black."

"Do you realize how utterly absurd you sound?" he snapped. His voice that had been so smooth, like velvet, was now harsh and abrupt. "Weren't you just running from someone who didn't even exist?"

My eyes began to sting. I was absolutely humiliated, but couldn't find the will to walk away from him. I was locked in his angry gaze. I wanted to scream at him or break down in tears. He didn't know anything about me or what I had been through. Who does he think he is?

Finally finding my legs, I pulled myself away from the wall and shoved past him. I made sure to glance around to make sure no one had seen. Luckily, there was only one nurse in sight and she was well out of earshot of our brief altercation.

His hand touched my upper arm, gently pulling me backward. I yanked it away and did my best to throw him the most intense glare possible. "I'm so sorry," he said, his voice formal. His eyes had grown sad and were full of pity. "That was incredibly rude."

"Yeah, it was." I crossed my arms and continued to hold my glare. While his expression had softened a great deal, his jaw was still clenched. It was like he was forcing himself to be civil to me.

"Well, I do sincerely apologize, Bella." Even though he was so hateful before, I could tell he meant it. After everything I had been exposed to in the past few months, I had developed a skill in identifying when someone was being truthful.

I sighed and let my guard back down. I simply nodded but hadn't forgotten about the reason for our argument. Obviously, I wasn't going to get an answer easily and I was too drained to fight about it. One thing I knew for sure was that I had definitely him standing over me. I decided to let it go . . . for now.

The sliding doors opened as Charlie walked through. "Everything alright over here?" He glanced at me, one eyebrow raised. The tension was palpable; I was sure Charlie had picked up on it.

"Absolutely Chief Swan," the bronze-haired boy said, his tone very polite. "I was just making sure Bella was okay."

Charlie blinked a couple of times, his originally suspicious expression had almost immediately disappeared. I glanced at the boy again, amazed. Charlie was never easily convinced, yet he seemed to smooth things over by just one look. How did he _do_ that?

"Um, okay then." Charlie reached for me and led me outside. "You have a good day, Edward," he said over his shoulder.

Edward. I hadn't realized until just then that I had never gotten the boy's name.

"You too, sir," Edward responded.

I forced myself not to glance back at him. But I could feel his eyes on the back of my head. That had to have been the strangest social encounter I have ever had. Half of me hoped that I never saw him again, but the other half hoped for the opposite. I still wanted answers. It's not every day that someone stands over a hospital patient, incapacitated, and snarls and growls at them. I'd get to the bottom of it eventually.

"Your mother called," Charlie said as he drove out of the hospital parking lot. "She got back to Jacksonville safely. She asked that you call her when you're feeling up to it."

"Okay." I leaned back in my seat and sunk as far into my jacket as I could, slipping my hands up the sleeves and my face deeper into the collar. Charlie caught on and turned the dial to bump up the heat.

"What happened back there," Charlie asked once we hit the highway.

"It was nothing." My voice cracked, betraying my attempt at reassurance. "Don't worry about it."

"Sure didn't look like nothing," he mumbled. "You looked horrified. Like you had seen a ghost or something."

I snorted. I wish I had seen a ghost. I leaned my head against the window and sighed, staring out into the blur of green. I knew I was going to regret telling the truth. But I had grown so tired of lying. "I saw . . . Allyn."

Charlie slammed on the brakes. "What?!" he boomed. "Where?!"

"Dad! We are in the middle of a highway!" I protested.

He threw the car into reverse, whipping it around to start heading in the opposite direction. He began mumbling so quickly under his breath that I was only able to make out a few curse words.

"He wasn't really there," I explained hurriedly. "I had apparently just imagined it. That's why I was with Edward. He was . . . worried about me."

Charlie loosened his grip on the steering wheel and slowed down. He pulled over to the side of the road and looked at me, his face full of pain. "Oh, Bells," he sighed.

"That's why Edward told you he was making sure I was okay. I really don't want to talk about it. If it happens again, I'll see Dr. Cullen. But right now I really just want to get some more sleep."

He continued to stare at me. I could tell he was really fighting hard not to insist that I go back. He lost the argument against himself and made a U-turn without another word.

My nights had grown plagued with nightmares. Or maybe they were memories. I couldn't be entirely sure. I had been drowning in violence for so long that the abusive moments had started to run together.

I always woke up screaming after every couple hours of sleep. At first, Charlie had run into my room with a baseball bat. After a while, he finally ditched it and would come in with a glass of water instead. He had even checked my closet on a few occasions, which made me feel five years old again.

I felt horrible for him. I wanted to tell him that I knew that they couldn't find Allyn anywhere, but I didn't want to make things worse. I had never realized that I wasn't the only one who would have to worry. I wasn't the only one who was suffering.

Even when I wasn't screaming and thrashing, I could hear Charlie moving around downstairs in the wee hours of the night. He would open my bedroom door and check on me sometimes. Once he would close the door, he would head right back downstairs. I wondered if he had permanently moved his bedroom into the living room, keeping watch.

When I was a little girl, he would lock his gun up in a safe while he was home. Now, he almost always had it on his hip. I never liked the idea of guns, but I really did feel safer knowing that Charlie was almost constantly prepared for anything.

It had been another week since I had been discharged from the hospital. This was the worst night I had had since then. I hadn't gotten a single minute of sleep. I wasn't much for taking medication, but I had delved into some allergy medication hoping that it would help.

Instead, it made me jittery and on edge. I didn't feel like reading or doing anything else. So I spent those long hours staring at the ceiling, trying to keep my mind as clear as possible.

Now that it was six in the morning, I felt that it was an acceptable enough time to finally get out of bed. My head was pounding and my back ached, no doubt from not getting enough sleep. I trudged down the stairs as quietly as I could just in case Charlie was still sleeping. To my surprise, it looked like he had been up all night too.

"No nightmares this time?" he asked. His voice was raspy.

"I didn't sleep," I admitted. I headed straight for the kitchen. A pot of coffee had already been brewed. I didn't normally drink it, but I hoped it might help my head. I poured two cups, one for me and one for Charlie.

I sat down on the couch and handed Charlie his mug. He muttered a thank you as he stared blankly at the television screen. He was watching the local news. Apparently, Forks had developed quite the problem with bears. A picture of a blonde-haired man popped up as the anchorwoman explained that he had gone missing while on a hike about a week ago. This was apparently the sixth disappearance this year.

There was a loud thump outside. I jumped and gasped, showering myself with steaming hot coffee. I yelped as my skin burned, grabbing a blanket to wipe it off my skin.

Charlie hurried to the kitchen to hand me a towel. "God, I'm so sorry. I'll put these in to get them washed so the stains don't set."

He ignored me and went to glance out the window. "It's just the neighbor. Looks like he's finally throwing out his motorcycles."

I gathered up all the blankets and headed to the laundry room. I slipped my soaked shirt off to add to the pile and threw them into the washing machine. I looked down at myself and watched as red burn marks began to appear on my stomach and arms.

"Great," I mumbled. I grabbed a sweatshirt that I had washed the night before and joined Charlie by the window.

A middle-aged man next door, whose name I think is Mark, was unstrapping a very dilapidated looking motorcycle out of the bed of his truck. Once it was freed, he shoved it off the edge next to another motorcycle he had already released onto the street. The sound it made was an identical thump to the first one.

"His wife has been begging him to get rid of those for years," Charlie said, his voice still raspy. He looked at me and put a hand on my shoulder. "We've got to do something about this, Bella."

I dropped my head to the floor. "I know."

"You're not sleeping, you barely eat. And you jump at anything and everything. I hate seeing you like this."

I sighed. He was right. It was one thing for me to suffer, but all of this was troubling Charlie much more than necessary. I turned on my heel without another word and headed towards the coat closet. I dug through the pockets and pulled out the business card that Dr. Cullen had given me.

I went straight to the kitchen, picked up the phone, and dialed the number for Esme Cullen.

 **A/N: Review!**


	9. Esme

**A/N: Thank you all so much for the positive feedback. You have no idea how much it all means to me :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.**

"Name?" the receptionist asked on the other end of the phone. His voice was very attractive and strangely calming, but incredibly bored. Forks wasn't exactly a large town. I would imagine appointment requests didn't come through very often.

"Bella Swan," I responded.

There was an obvious pause on the other end of the line and I groaned internally. Maybe Edward had been going around telling people about my momentary lapse in sanity. Word traveled fast in a town this small. It wouldn't be all that surprising if it had already gotten to the man on the other end of the phone. Or maybe it was as simple as Dr. Cullen had told his wife to watch out for a call from me. Either way, it was clear that this receptionist knew my name.

"I just have to ask you a few questions before we set up an appointment. Standard procedure for new patients."

I nodded, but soon realized he couldn't see me. "Shoot."

He proceeded with questions that I had grown extremely tired of. The usual "do you have a history of mental illness in your family?", "do you have thoughts of hurting yourself or others?", "have you lost interest in daily activities?". The list went on.

I answered the majority of the questions with "no". I admitted to having nightmares and that I hadn't had a decent night's sleep in months. But I did omit some information, such as hallucinating the appearance of my abusive ex-boyfriend on more than one occasion. That was simply because I didn't want Charlie to overhear.

I knew Charlie was within hearing range and I had promised to tell him if I ever saw Allyn again. Much to my dismay, I saw Allyn at least once a day. Usually, he was standing in my room, watching me with his callused hands balled into fists. Charlie knew I was suffering without my saying anything and I just couldn't admit I was seeing him everywhere. I wasn't happy about breaking my promise to him, but at this point, I was miserable no matter what. What good would it do if I admitted to him that his only daughter had completely lost her mind?

I didn't feel comfortable spilling my guts to this robotic receptionist anyway. It wasn't necessary to tell him everything. This town probably already knew enough about me than I was comfortable with and there was no need to add fuel to the fire.

The receptionist sighed. "Can you come in around noon?"

That was in one hour. I guess I would have to ditch the shower and come in smelling like the coffee I had spilled all over myself a few minutes ago. "Yes, that's fine."

"See you then, Bella." There was a clicking noise as the line disconnected.

I placed the landline back in its holster and turned to face Charlie. "They got me in today. I have an appointment with Esme Cullen at noon."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

I gave him a dismissive wave. "No need, Dad. I'm sure you don't want to hear all of this again anyway."

His now constantly red and angry face seemed to grow the slightest bit more purple. "Yeah, you're probably right," he mumbled as I walked into the kitchen. "Anyway, I'm glad you're seeing Esme. She's a wonderful woman. All the Cullens are."

" _All_ the Cullens?" I asked, piqued. I very carefully poured the rest of the coffee from the pot into my mug. The burn marks from my earlier accident were now very noticeable. No need to add more.

"Dr. Cullen and Esme have five children."

I choked on my coffee, sputtering as it burned my mouth and throat. "They have five children?" I gasped. "Dr. Cullen looks like he's barely in his mid-twenties!"

There was a hint of a smile as Charlie explained. "Well, they're all adopted. Dr. Cullen just looks very young for his age. He's the best doctor at the hospital that we've ever seen. We occasionally will get patients in from as far as Seattle who request him."

"Huh," I mumbled.

"Don't let his appearance fool you. Their kids are very well mannered and extremely smart, too. I've never had an issue with a single one of them." He sighed. "I'll never understand why Billy and Jacob have such a huge problem with them."

I took another careful sip of coffee. I had almost forgotten the reason Jacob had never come to see me at the hospital. I never thought to ask for Charlie to give me a better explanation.

"What is that about anyway? When Jacob called to check on me the other day, he didn't mention anything about it." In fact, the conversation was incredibly brief. It was almost like he was just checking to see if I was alive before hanging up. A flash of his livid expression as he dropped me off at the hospital entered my mind.

Charlie shrugged. "Billy won't go into detail. And I guess Jacob is just influenced by his father. They haven't said much, but from what they've told me, I think there was some sort of disagreement between Billy and Dr. Cullen before I even met either one of them."

"When Jacob brought me to the hospital, he was . . . glaring at Dr. Cullen. He looked absolutely livid. It must be more than an argument."

"I really have no idea, Bells. Billy and I don't talk as much as we used to because of their attitude towards them. I don't like seeing people be so closed-minded. Forks Community Hospital would be hopeless without Dr. Cullen. Just because they weren't born here doesn't make them any different from us."

I could tell Charlie felt very strongly about the Cullens. I found myself curious as to what Esme and the kids must be like. Especially since he was the type to usually keep to himself. Charlie very rarely voiced his opinions unless it was something that truly needed to be vocalized.

Charlie let out a long exhale as if he were trying to calm himself down. "Anyway, if anyone can help you get through this, it's Esme. She's an asset to the community, just as much as Dr. Cullen."

After Charlie's out-of-character speech, I was even more intrigued by the Cullen family. I would even go as far to say that I was excited.

I finished the last of the coffee and hurried up the stairs, tripping on the top step. I dug through my very limited wardrobe and settled for a brown sweater and jeans. I didn't really feel like doing anything with my hair, so I threw it up into a messy ponytail. Normally, I would have gone in my sweats. I knew I was bound to have a touch of depression, but I didn't want to risk seeming like I was drowning in it.

Charlie met me at the front door and handed me what looked like a map. I sighed and smiled at him. If it hadn't been for that, I probably never would have realized that I had absolutely no idea where I was going.

"All you have to do is head straight for Forks Community Hospital. Take a left on Bogachiel, then a right on Danielson. It'll be the first building you come to," Charlie instructed, using his finger to trace the route I should take. He then folded it up into a square so that the route was all in one area for me to just glance at if I were to get lost.

"Thanks, Dad." I slipped into my raincoat and opened the front door. It was pouring and I could swear that some of it looked like snow. _Great,_ I thought.

Charlie saw my expression. "You sure you don't need me to go with you?"

I took a deep breath and shook my head. "I got it," I mumbled. I was going to have to start getting out and about by myself somehow. The drive to see my newly appointed shrink was a good place to start.

The office wasn't at all hard to find, thanks to Charlie's instructions. It had been quite some time since I had been behind the wheel of the car, let alone a stick shift. Since I had left early, I had plenty of time to drive as slow as I wanted so I could get the hang of it all.

Since I had arrived ten minutes early, I decided to take advantage of the heater for a few more minutes. My stomach was in knots. I really couldn't understand why I was so nervous. I guess spilling my guts had become foreign to me over time.

There were only two cars in the parking lot, both of which were brand new. One was a white Mercedes that didn't have a single spec of dirt on the paint. I chuckled to myself as I realized that it was a convertible. I couldn't see the point in driving around with the top down in the rainiest place in the United States.

The other car was a shiny, silver Volvo with tinted windows so dark that I wouldn't have been able to tell if someone was even inside.

They were bound to be the nicest cars in the entire town of Forks, Washington. While it wasn't necessarily a poor town, it certainly wasn't a rich one either. I guess a doctor married to a psychologist made living life a luxury.

I took a deep breath and pulled my hood up in preparation for the pouring rain. I lept out of the truck and hurried to the glass door of the office, careful to avoid the ice. Once inside, I was expecting to feel warmer. But that wasn't at all the case. I wondered if the heat was broken.

I kept my hood up and tried to stifle a shiver as I walked up to the receptionist's desk. Behind a sheet of glass was the man I must have spoken to over the phone. Surprisingly, he was in a white V-neck shirt and didn't seem to be at all bothered by the freezer-like temperature.

He was frightfully pale, as everyone in this town seemed to be. But something was off about the skin around his neck. It seemed to be covered in what looked like extremely light scars. Then again, it could have just been the harsh lighting.

His honey blonde hair shielded his face as he wrote something down on a pad of paper. "Name?" he asked, the same boredom in his voice from when I had spoken to him earlier.

"Bella Swan."

He immediately looked to face me. His jaw was clenched and his eyes narrowed into slits. My discomfort grew as I took in his disgusted expression, which reminded me quite a bit of Edward's back at the hospital.

I cleared my throat, trying to stand my ground. Maybe if I glared back, he would stop staring at me as if I was his worst enemy. I tried my best, even narrowing my eyes just as he had, but everything about him made me uncomfortable.

His strange, tawny eyes softened while the rest of his face didn't. A weird sense of calm washed over me. I suddenly didn't feel as cold anymore.

"Esme will see you in a moment." His voice sounded choked and strained. He sat down and faced away from me in one very fluid movement.

I sat down in one of the green lounge chairs which turned out to be much more comfortable than it looked. I snuggled myself in and took in the scene of the room. A lot of pictures of nature scenes were hung up on the walls. Originally, I had half expected there to be motivational sayings plastered all over the place. Or maybe even a picture of a kitten with a quote that said: "hang in there". But this office was modernized and not at all what I would have expected for a shrink.

Very soft classical music was playing over the loud-speaker which reminded me so much of my mother. She used to play it around the house all the time. While I wouldn't ever listen to it on my own, I felt very at home.

I heard a click and glanced towards the man at the front desk. He was whispering into an intercom through clenched teeth. I craned my head to try and make out what he was saying. His lips moved so fast that I couldn't tell by looking at him. I didn't know how it was even possible for the person on the other end of the speaker to hear him either.

A door to my right opened, breaking my concentration. A beautiful woman with a heart-shaped face and kind eyes walked into the room. Her hair was the color of caramel. It was very thick and wavy and reminded me of a commercial for professional grade shampoo. "I'm Esme Cullen. I'll see you now, Bella," she said with a maternal smile.

As I stood up, she gestured to the room at the very end of the hall. "Jasper, you can go on home now," she said as I walked to her side. The man at the desk got up and stormed out of the office without another look back.

I stared at him in awe. My original discomfort came flooding back as soon as he disappeared. What was up with the people in this town?

Esme smiled, seeming to ignore her receptionist's rotten attitude. She led the way with a graceful gait. Her office was darker and warmer than the rest of the building. There was a sofa at the farthest wall, directly beneath a very large window with a view of the mossy green forest.

"Take a seat anywhere," she said.

I felt my shoulders relax a bit as I sat in the middle of the sofa. I hadn't realized how tense I was after the man at the desk had bolted out the way he had. I folded my hands in my lap as I watched her slide over an office chair to face me.

"So, Bella, how can I help? Are you looking for assistance or just someone to talk to?" she asked as she sat down. She crossed her legs and placed one hand neatly under her chin.

Taking notice that she had no pen and paper or even a tape recorder, I grew confused. "You're not going to write down everything I say?" It came out much more rude and abrupt than I had intended.

Esme cocked her head to the side, but the slight smile didn't leave her face. "Would you like me to?"

"No," I answered quickly. "I just have never done this. In the movies, you always see someone laying down on a couch, blabbing about their feelings while the doctor asks 'how do you feel about that?'." My bitter tone surprised me as it was also completely unintentional.

She chuckled softly. "This is very different than the movies." She tapped her pointer finger to her temple. "I have a very good memory. I won't need to write anything down."

I nodded, feeling awkward and embarrassed. "I don't really know what I need," I said with a long exhale, referring to her original question. "I guess I need help as well as someone to talk to."

"Okay, how about we start at the beginning then?" she suggested. "What brought you to here?"

"Your husband didn't tell you?"

Her eyebrows knit together. "Of course not. My husband and I both exercise complete doctor-patient confidentiality."

I sighed and looked down, fidgeting with the zipper on my jacket. "Can we start with something a little more simple, Dr. Cullen?"

"Please, call me Esme. And of course we can. How about we start with how you're liking it here in Forks so far?"

I snorted. That question was simple enough. "People here are very different from what I'm used to."

She raised an eyebrow but seemed to be amused. "Oh? How so?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Some people are so nice that it makes me uncomfortable. And some are so mean."

"Mean?" Esme was very clearly surprised by my observation. "Any incident in particular?"

"I was being discharged from the hospital when I saw . . . someone." While I could tell Esme was a very compassionate person, I just wasn't comfortable telling her everything just yet. I decided to keep it vague and start off with something petty. My encounter with Edward _did_ , in fact, bother me. But it was still the least of my worries.

"Turns out that someone wasn't actually there. I ended up backing directly into this boy who had to basically confirm that it was just my imagination," I continued. Esme listened patiently. I began to feel a little embarrassed as this all sounded so juvenile. "Anyway, Edward was just rude about it afterward. It's stupid, really."

Esme's eyes grew immediately wide. I began to panic as I had never meant to point any fingers or drop names. Edward had never told me his last name, so I had hoped that maybe there was more than one Edward in this town so this didn't single him out. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to say his name. I know it's a small town and you probably know him or his parents or something . . ." I trailed off as Esme's expression changed.

She gently placed her elegant fingers against her lips, stifling a laugh. Clearly, there was only one Edward. And it was very obvious that she knew exactly who he was. "I guess I will have to talk to him about that."

I groaned. "Please don't. I really didn't mean to say who he was. He wasn't that mean I guess." I realized how pathetic I must sound.

Esme giggled. "Edward is my son."

 **A/N: Review!**


	10. Smile

**A/N: So sorry for the delay in updating! It's been a very hectic couple of months. Enjoy and review!**

My face grew hot in humiliation as I dropped my head into my hands. "I am so sorry, Esme." My voice sounded garbled against my palms.

She laughed. It was a very pleasant sound. "No need to apologize. I did not raise Edward to be rude, so I am certainly surprised."

I lifted my head up but refused to look her in the eye. I focused on studying the patterns in the carpet. "I'm sure he wasn't rude. I probably just took it the wrong way. After all, I was imagining things before I even ran into him." My words ran together as I panicked. "You know, I am terrible at first impressions. I seem to be offending every new person I meet."

"Please, Bella," she urged with a smile. "I am most definitely not offended. I am rather amused actually."

Her maternal smile didn't calm my nerves like I knew it would for most other people. Instead, I felt silly in comparison. I couldn't for the life of me seem to get a grip on myself long enough to seem normal. I had never felt that I fit in anywhere. But now, I felt more like an outsider than ever.

Esme cleared her throat as if she could tell my mind had wandered. "You said you were imagining things before you had your encounter with my son."

I sighed and continued staring at the carpet. "I saw my ex-boyfriend."

"Why do you suppose that is?"

"I guess . . . I'm living my worst nightmare." I stood up and walked around the room, taking in the artwork on the walls. One, in particular, was a painting of a courtyard with the sun beating down on the cobblestone with tall, castle-like structures enclosing it. One of the structures was an elaborate clock tower.

"Is he someone you're afraid of?" Esme asked.

"Yes." My voice was almost a whisper. I found myself begin to slip into a very familiar depression. The feeling was a sense of overwhelming hopelessness and dread. I realized I wasn't ready to talk about any of this.

I continued to divert my attention to the painting. The details were incredible. The beams of light from the sun reflected off of the bricks that made up the buildings. The flowers in the courtyard could be mistaken as photographs if it weren't for the grainy canvas. I reached up to touch the edge of the picture, imagining myself there. "This is a beautiful painting," I commented, changing the subject.

"My husband lived in Italy for a time." I jumped as her voice came from directly behind me. I hadn't heard her move from her seat. "This was the courtyard near his home. He painted this a few years ago. It's one of my favorites."

"He's very talented," I mumbled.

"Do you paint?"

I snorted and turned away from the artwork. "No. My mother does, but I've never been very creative."

"Everyone has creativity inside them, Bella. You just have to find the best way for you to express it." Esme sat back down in her chair and crossed one leg over the other. She placed her hands elegantly on one knee.

I didn't respond. I wasn't entirely sure what I could say to that. I guess I hadn't particularly tried all that hard to express myself in any form. I knew for a fact that I couldn't draw or paint. I didn't have the patience to learn how to play any instruments aside from the recorder in the fourth grade, and that was mandatory.

"What do you do for fun, Bella?"

I returned to my original spot on the sofa. Truthfully, I couldn't even remember the last time I had done anything that I found fun. In fact, I couldn't remember the last time that I had simply done something because I wanted to. "Nothing," I finally answered.

Esme didn't appear to be surprised by my response. "Nothing?"

"Well, I read. Or used to. Before everything." Allyn and I both used to enjoy reading. We would trade books often and compare notes. Once things got bad, I didn't find the solace in it the way that I used to.

"Maybe you should try again." The tone of her voice suggested that it was more of an order, almost as if she were telling me that this was my homework assignment.

I nodded, not wanting to argue with her. "I think you're right."

Esme leaned forward a bit. "Listen, Bella," she began. "I don't know anything about you, but you remind me quite a bit of myself. I promise you, it will get better. It just takes time."

I nodded and looked away, suddenly feeling uncomfortable and embarrassed. I didn't want to think of myself as a hopeless case, but I believed that's exactly what I had turned into. After everything, maybe I'm just unfixable.

My eyes began to burn and I could feel the tears welling up. I sucked in a sharp breath before speaking again. "I'm sorry I'm not opening up. I'm trying . . . I thought I was ready to talk. But I guess I was wrong."

"I understand. There is no need to apologize. We can take as long as you need." She flashed me a brilliant smile, revealing her sparkling white teeth. I suddenly didn't feel so terrible anymore. "However, there is a bookstore about ten minutes up the road. Take a left out of the parking lot and drive a few miles, then you'll see it on the right. I think you'll find what you're looking for there."

Although I was technically supposed to be taking it easy, I didn't think Esme's suggestion would be pushing it. I agreed with her, even if I didn't necessarily want to vocalize it.

In silence, she followed me to the front door and opened it for me. The freezing cold air hit me and I shivered in response. Esme was unfazed. Given what she was wearing, I was surprised. Maybe she was just used to the cold. I guess since I had come from Phoenix, I couldn't handle it as well as everyone else who lived here.

"If you're up for it, I'd like to schedule another session with you. Perhaps next Friday, same time?" she said.

"Sure." I pulled my collar closer to my chin and attempted to smile.

"Wonderful. You can tell me all about the book you've chosen to read."

I smiled without meaning to. I had actually surprised myself since it was completely genuine. It was the first time I had smiled without it being forced or as a response to "are you okay?". Maybe there was hope for me here after all.

As I began to walk away, I noticed that the silver Volvo was gone. In its place was a green Toyota with a woman who couldn't have been any older than me climbing out of the driver's side.

She was petite with very curly and dark brown hair. As she walked up to the front door, I could tell she had been crying. Her eyes were swollen and the tip of her nose was red. She wiped her face once she reached Esme who was still holding open the door.

"Come on in, Jessica," she said. Esme looked heartbroken. I wondered what Jessica's story was and if it was similar to mine. Given that she seemed as if she had been crying for days, I could only assume that it was something serious and not just some schoolgirl heartbreak.

I felt a pang of worry for the girl as I climbed into my truck. Although I didn't personally open up to Esme, I had a feeling Jessica was in the best possible hands.

I turned out of the parking lot, carefully avoiding the icy spots on the road as I followed Esme's directions. After a few minutes, I came across a sign that read "Salvation Station Bookstore" on the right. It was very small and resembled a house more than a bookstore. If it weren't for the sign, I never would have known that this is the place Esme was referring to.

As I pulled into a parking space close to the front door, I caught a glimpse of the Volvo I had seen at Esme's office. Given that not many people drove fancy cars in this town, I knew it had to be the same person.

Cautiously, I stepped out of my truck, glaring at the ice on the pavement. The stairs that led up to the red front door seemed more of a death trap than an entrance. I gripped the rail as if my life depended on it as I climbed each step.

Thankfully I made it up to the door without incident and entered. Behind a mahogany desk was a very angry looking blonde girl. She was my age with emerald green eyes and her long hair resembled corn-silk. Something about her told me that she was an unfriendly person.

She let out a long, exasperated sigh. "Let me know if you need help finding anything," she snapped in a nasally voice. Taken aback by her hostility, I pretended I didn't hear her.

I walked up and down each aisle, unsure of what I was even looking for. The books were all fairly dusty and tattered. I wondered how long it had been since someone had even bought anything here.

As I glanced around the corner and spotted the blonde girl glaring at me from the desk at the front, it occurred to me why most people probably don't buy anything from this place. Frankly, if I had known I would have to be in the same room with such someone who projected so much negativity, I would have just gone home.

I continued down the last aisle, preparing to give up. But once I reached the last shelf, a very familiar book caught my attention.

It was Wuthering Heights, which was my favorite. Before Allyn, I would sit down and read it every Christmas in front of the fireplace. I was always so enraptured by Cathy and Heathcliff's story. It was my escape. But now, I worried that a romance wouldn't help me as much as it used to.

Deciding it was worth a try, I took the book in my hands. Oddly enough, it was the only book I had seen that wasn't covered in dust or looked as if it were about to fall apart. Maybe it was a sign.

I checked out with the unpleasant girl at the front desk whose name tag revealed that her name was Lauren. She said nothing to me, and I certainly didn't make an effort to say anything to her. After giving me my change, I hurried out into the cold, glad to be free of her fishy-eyed glare.

In my haste, I had forgotten about the ice covering the steps. My feet flew out from underneath me and I hurdled face-first towards the concrete.

A beige blur appeared in front of me, grabbing my waist just before I hit the sidewalk. I gasped as the breath was knocked out of me. This was now the second time I had been rescued from falling flat on my face. My cheeks grew hot before I had even been steadied by the person who had caught me.

I didn't want to open my eyes and face the embarrassment. I let out a long sigh, waiting for my heart rate to return to normal. "I'm so sorry. Thank you," I finally said.

"Are you alright?"

My eyes snapped open. There was no mistaking that voice. I was now face-to-face with Edward once again. I let out a curt laugh. "Yeah. I'm fine," I snapped.

I whipped around to get into my truck and hoped he didn't have anything further to say. He was the second to last person that I wanted to see right now.

"You dropped your book." His tone was much more gentle than the first time I had spoken with him. It seemed almost out of character given how our first conversation had turned out.

I contemplated just leaving without my purchase so I could avoid truly having to face him. Before I could really react, he was in front of me with his arm outstretched, clutching my now damp book.

He was wearing a white sweater with a beige, leather jacket. His tousled bronze hair was still perfect, despite the snow that was falling hard on top of us. I probably looked like a wet rat in comparison to him.

"Thanks," I breathed, taking the book from him. He was much more muscular than I remembered. Then again, I was in such a panic that I must not have paid as much attention. If anything, he was even more beautiful.

"Good choice," Edward said as he cracked a crooked smile.

Anything I was currently thinking seemed to escape me. It was as if my mind had been wiped clean. I blinked. "What?"

"The book." He laughed quietly. "Wuthering Heights. Good choice."

"Oh," was all I could manage. Edward held my gaze, and for some reason, I couldn't find the will to look away. I had a familiar urge to reach up and place my hand on his cheek, but luckily I was frozen.

"You're looking better," he commented, breaking the awkward silence. I had no idea how long it had even been since either one of us had said anything.

"Yeah, I guess." My tone was still dazed. I forced myself to snap out of it. He had to have thought I was an absolute lunatic the first time I had met him. Maybe now was the time to try and make a better impression. "I feel better."

"I'm glad to hear that." Edward's topaz eyes glistened. I could tell that he was being genuine. A part of me was curious as to why he was being so nice, given how hostile he seemed when he met me as I was leaving the hospital. Not to mention I still hadn't forgotten the sinister snarl I remembered from when I was first admitted in my deoxygenated state.

Fear bubbled up inside of me, recalling the sound of the growl and the curl of his lips. The look in those onyx eyes would more than likely haunt me for the rest of my life. The Edward that was in front of me was so different. I was starting to question whether or not I had imagined the whole thing.

Not knowing what else to say, I proceeded towards the driver's side of my truck.

"Wait, Bella," he said, stopping me after I had gotten one foot up onto the floorboard. I tried my best to hide my surprise as I turned to look at him again.

"Yes?"

Edward looked down at his feet before facing me, like he wasn't sure how to say what he was thinking. "I just wanted to apologize."

I shrugged dismissively. I had no desire to relive what he was apologizing for. "No problem. It was a misunderstanding."

"I'm serious," he said, his eyes pleading. "I don't know what came over me. I am incredibly sorry if I offended you in any way."

I wasn't sure why, but the expression on his face was tortured. His perfectly chiseled jaw was clenched as his eyes bore into mine. I suddenly felt weak in the knees. I tightened my grip on the door of my truck. "You're forgiven."

I didn't feel the hatred that I had once felt about Edward. Of course, he was a physically a symbol of perfection and I was far from that, but I was beginning to get the impression that he and I weren't so different.

"Thank you," he sighed as I hopped into my truck and started the engine. He sounded very relieved, and I had to admit that I was as well. I had clearly misjudged him.

I nodded, trying my best to give him a convincing smile. "Be careful getting home, Bella," he finally said.

Without another word, he turned on his heel and walked away. His head was slightly cocked to the side as if he were listening for something. I peered after him through the sheen of the snow as he got into the silver Volvo. He sped off as if the ice was non-existent.

"Of course he drives the shiny Volvo," I mumbled to myself. I buckled my seatbelt and adjusted my rear-view mirror. I was nearly astonished when I caught a glimpse of my reflection.

I was smiling.


	11. Anger

**A/N: Thank you to my faithful readers for the positive feedback! I hope you enjoy this chapter and be sure to review!**

I hung my coat up in my closet as Charlie rounded the corner from the kitchen. He leaned up against the wall, watching me with a look of shock and confusion.

Clutching my newest copy of Wuthering Heights to my chest, I copied his expression. "Something wrong?"

"Did you have that when you left?" He gestured towards the book.

"No. Esme recommended that I get back into reading since I used to enjoy it before all of this happened."

"And you listened?"

I laughed once. "Why are you so surprised?" I plopped onto the couch and pulled the blanket over my feet.

He joined me in the living room, taking a seat on the edge of the recliner. It was clear that he had no intention of staying there long. "You're stubborn, that's all." There was a hint of a smile hiding under his mustache.

"I'm kind of like my dad in that way, I guess," I joked.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm just glad to see you decided to listen to her. It will be good for you to get back into the swing of things."

I sighed and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I think you're right."

The silence grew slightly uncomfortable. I could tell he was holding something in but didn't want to tell me. "Anyway," he grumbled. "There's a missing person case that the department really needs my help on. Are you going to be alright by yourself for a little while? I don't want to leave you here alone if you're not ready."

Charlie hadn't been back to work since my latest visit to the hospital. I could only imagine the stack of paperwork that was more than likely piling up on his desk at the station. I pondered for a moment, wondering if I truly was ready. He couldn't stay home to protect me forever.

"Go ahead," I urged, flashing what I hoped was a convincing smile.

He stood up and rubbed the back of his neck. "If I could work from here, I would," he said. "If you need me, give me a call. I'll come straight home."

I waved my hand. "Don't worry about me."

Charlie smiled and proceeded up the stairs. I settled deeper into the couch and opened my book.

Reading came back to me much more naturally than I would have expected. Before I knew it, I was swept away in Bronte's writing that I seemed to forget all of the troubles around me. For once in a very long time, I didn't need to force the disturbing events I had survived to the back of my head. They dissipated all on their own.

A crack of thunder broke my concentration, causing me to jump. I was sore from sitting in the same position for so long, but time had flown. I had made it halfway through the book when I finally glanced up at the clock. It was almost seven and already dark outside. My heart rate jumped the slightest bit as I grew uncomfortable. The house was so quiet that I could hear the crickets chirping outside and the rain pounding the roof of the house.

Normally, that was a sound that would have calmed me. But this time, it was all the more reason to panic. I forced myself to try and get lost in the book again but failed. I found myself having to re-read the same pages over again, unable to concentrate. I simply couldn't live in my fantasy world anymore.

I sighed and set my book down. I began turning on all the lights in the house. I don't know how that would have helped me if Allyn were nearby or even in the same room. I grew increasingly desperate to see anything and everything around me. A part of me regretted it, wondering if all the lights being on would attract attention to the house from the outside.

Searching every room, I felt the need to ensure that I was, in fact, alone. I peered around each corner and moved as silently as I could. I ended in the kitchen as I pondered whether or not I should try and convince myself to eat something.

I opened the newly stocked refrigerator, staring at its contents. Nothing seemed appetizing. I sighed and placed a hand on my forehead as I closed my eyes, annoyed with myself. Eating was obviously not the best idea.

A knock on the door sent me nearly tumbling to the floor in sheer horror. I froze as tears welled up in my eyes, praying that whoever was on the porch was a figment of my imagination.

There was another knock and I jumped and gasped in response. I sank to the floor, clutching the pockets of my jeans hoping to find my cell phone. My pockets were empty. A lump formed in my throat as I forced myself to keep from screaming.

As the knocking grew louder, I scrambled into the living room. I yanked the blanket off of the couch, searching frantically for my phone. It was nowhere to be found. I clenched my teeth as I realized that I may have left it in the truck.

"Bella?" a familiar voice called out. That voice definitely did not belong to Allyn.

I let out a loud gasp of air I hadn't realized I had been holding. With my knees wobbling, I placed my hands on the edge of the sofa as I tried to steady myself. "Just a minute," I responded, my voice shaking. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and finally stood up straight. After a few more deep breaths, I found the will to open the front door.

It was pouring outside and Jacob Black was completely soaked from head to toe. "Oh, Jake, I'm sorry!" I gasped. I hurried him inside and grabbed a towel from the linen closet.

"It's fine," Jacob said with a grin. "The rain doesn't bother me." He wiped his face and dabbed at his dripping hair. "I thought you might be sleeping and was about to head back home until I thought I heard you fall or something."

I snorted and gestured towards the couch. "I tripped over the blanket." I didn't enjoy lying, but it had become so much more natural to me after constantly hiding details from those around me. It was better than admitting I was cowering in the hallway.

"Of course you did," Jacob laughed. His smile disappeared as he joined me in the living room. "You're white as a sheet, Bella. Are you feeling alright?"

I sighed and waved my hand dismissively. "I'm fine. I just wasn't expecting any visitors, that's all."

He raised one eyebrow, clearly not at all convinced. "Okay." It was more of a question. "What were you expecting?"

"Nothing," I said quickly. "Anyways, what brings you here?"

"I just wanted to check on you to make sure you were doing alright."

I stared at him for a moment and pursed my lips. "My dad called you, didn't he?"

Jacob sighed and put his hands over his eyes, embarrassed. "Alright, fine, you caught me. Yes, he called me." He placed his hands back on his lap, but didn't make eye contact. "But I wanted to see you anyway," he added hurriedly. "I was happy to come over here and check on you."

Suddenly, I felt a spark of anger. This was coming from someone who seemed to have no desire to speak to me over the past week. And all of a sudden, here he is. _Why do you care_ , I thought to myself.

"I know what you're thinking," Jacob said, studying my face. I wondered what my facial expression must have looked like. "I also wanted to come over here to apologize, Bella. I'm sorry I didn't visit or call you."

I shrugged. "You don't owe me anything." I tried to control my tone but failed. My irritation was obvious.

He winced slightly and I immediately felt guilty. "It's complicated. I really was worried. I'm sorry."

"My dad mentioned something to me about your family and the Cullens not getting along," I finally said. Maybe I could get some information out of him. The Cullens were definitely not your normal family, but they certainly didn't seem like bad people. "Does that have anything to do with you not calling?"

"Maybe." His voice sounded strained like he wanted to tell me more, but physically couldn't. "I can't really get into that. It's complicated."

"What could possibly be so complicated? I saw the look you gave Dr. Cullen. That's a look you give your worst enemy." My tone had regained its harshness, but this time, I refused to feel guilty.

Jacob looked amused and mumbled something under his breath that sounded like "pretty much".

I let out a heavy sigh. "You don't look at someone that way over a 'complication'. They've either done something to you or they haven't."

"I can't tell you. I really wish I could. Please just trust me when I say that it's complicated." Jacob's dark eyes were pleading and urgent.

"Fine," I surrendered.

He let out a breath of relief and seemed to compose himself. "Why don't we just change the subject? What have you been up to?"

"Not much," I said cautiously. I didn't want to explain that I had been to therapy and certainly didn't want to mention who my doctor was. "I ran some errands today and went to the bookstore." I patted my copy of Wuthering Heights.

"That's an . . . interesting choice," he said, slightly laughing.

"It's one of my favorites. I used to read a lot. I thought I should get back into it."

"Well, why did you stop reading if you enjoyed it so much?" I could tell he was fishing for information, just as I had been a few moments ago. I found myself amused at the situation as a whole. It seemed that everyone in this town had secrets to keep, but no one wanted to tell them.

"Life, I guess," I said quietly. "Although I nearly killed myself in the process. I slipped on some ice on the front steps of the bookstore."

He let out a pleasant laugh. "We just need to put you in a bubble, Bella."

I smiled sheepishly and looked down at my lap. "You're not the first person to tell me that. I don't know what would have happened if Edward hadn't caught me."

Jacob froze and his playful smile immediately vanished from his face. "Edward _Cullen_?"

 _Oh no_ , I thought. I scrambled to find a way to respond, but I knew it was too late. "I don't know, he only gave me his first name." My lie was pathetic and not at all convincing.

"Oh, please," he snorted. "There's only one Edward in this town."

I sighed and shrugged. "What do you want me to say, Jake? I was heading face-first towards the concrete. If he hadn't been there, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you."

"Still," he sneered.

I couldn't deny that this had stung. "So you would rather have me end up in the hospital or worse? That's nice, Jacob," I snapped. The venom in my voice surprised me.

His eyes widened. "No, Bella, that's not at all what I mean." He stood up and began pacing. "I just can't . . ." He trailed off as his fists clenched, his knuckles turning white.

"Look, I know for whatever reason you can't tell me what's going on. But they seem like very good people to me."

"They're _not_ ," Jacob boomed. I jumped in response to his sudden hostility. "They are the polar opposites of good."

His entire body began to shake. He was clutching both hands in a manner that I worried would break his fingers, but he seemed completely unphased.

Suddenly, I felt extremely uncomfortable. I started to think that Jacob wasn't at all who he appeared to be during our first meeting. He was someone I thought was warm and caring, but his increasing anger began to remind me of someone I never wanted to see again.

"Jake, I'm sorry -,"

"I gotta go," he interrupted. Before I knew it, he was already at the front door, taking deep breaths.

I stumbled after him just before he stepped outside. "I'm sorry we don't see eye-to-eye on this. I didn't mean to upset you." I placed a hand on his trembling shoulder and was shocked by how it felt. "Jacob, you're burning up."

"It's nothing," he said, shrugging away from me. He threw the front door open and took one step outside. Before leaving, he turned to me with a facial expression that left me speechless.

Jacob's dark eyes were furious, but in a way that made me think he was mad at himself and not me. His teeth were clenched and chattering and it was certainly not from the cold. It was as if he were ashamed.

"I need you to promise me something, Bella," he said shakily.

I simply nodded, still in complete shock by his reaction.

"Stay away from the Cullens."

And just like that, he hopped down the front steps and began to sprint away. But instead of getting behind the wheel of his Volkswagen Rabbit, he disappeared into the woods.

"Jacob!" I called after him. I ran out into the rain, but couldn't see anything through the sheets of relentless and heavy droplets. "Jacob!"

He was gone. And I was more confused than ever. I couldn't understand why he was keeping a secret that was clearly eating him up inside. Something bad had to have happened for him to give me a warning like that. It was then that I realized that I had been doing the same for a very long time.

Giving up, I turned to head back into the house until a spec of white in my peripherals caught my eye. I hurried out to the edge of the treeline to investigate. It was a piece of shredded cloth.


	12. Complication

**A/N: Thank you so much everyone for the positive reviews! I hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

Another week had passed. I had stayed confined to the house, too nervous to leave. As my anxiety skyrocketed, I lost pleasure in reading again. I couldn't find the energy to try and force it. Between Allyn being on the loose and Jacob's consistent fits of anger, I simply didn't have the desire to be anywhere in the public eye. Not that I found solace in being alone, but I knew I'd feel worse surrounded by a bunch of strangers.

Jacob had returned later on to retrieve his Volkswagen Rabbit the night that he disappeared into the woods. He knocked and called out for me, but I never opened the door. He wasn't who I thought he was. I couldn't risk falling into another unhealthy relationship, even if we were just friends.

Charlie had come home to a note on the front door that same night. It had been ruined by the rain and the ink had bled so badly I couldn't make out what it said. One of the words was definitely "sorry" and at the bottom, it was signed "Jake". Immediately afterward, I had crumpled up the soaking wet piece of paper and threw it in the trash.

Charlie didn't know what to make of the whole situation. I could tell the curiosity was eating him up inside, but he wouldn't dare ask what happened. All he managed to say was, "I guess sending Jake over here didn't turn out the way I expected". I had simply shrugged my shoulders and went straight to bed.

Jacob had called a few times. If I was home alone, I would answer and then hang up so it wouldn't give him the opportunity to leave a voice message. Charlie had answered twice. Both times I insisted that he tell him that I wasn't home. I knew that wasn't believable. Where in the world would I be? I didn't have a job or friends. But I didn't care. As long as it got the point across that I had no intentions of speaking to Jacob anytime soon.

Lately, I had mastered staying home by myself. Despite my crippling anxiety, I had learned a few tricks to keep myself alert. I always kept most of the lights on in the house until Charlie came home. I unplugged the landline and made sure my cell phone was always within reach. All of the doors and windows stayed locked. And more importantly, I stayed in my bedroom. I kept myself in a certain position on my bed that gave me a clear view out of the window that overlooked the driveway.

Charlie had invested in a small flat screen for my bedroom so that I wasn't just sitting around doing nothing. I had also positioned it perfectly and right next to the window that I peered out of 95% of the time. The television was a nice gesture as it was helpful for background noise, but I couldn't ever really concentrate on anything that was on cable.

Every night after Charlie would come home from work, I was able to keep myself busy enough to make dinner for the two of us. I had invested a lot of time cooking up elaborate meals. The more ingredients and time it took, the better. Charlie didn't complain.

All of these things were just enough to keep me sane. It wasn't how I pictured living my life, but it would do for now. At least until Allyn was caught.

A knock on my door jerked me from my reverie. "Come in," I called out.

Charlie appeared in the doorway, fully dressed in his uniform and an envelope in his hand. "This was in the mailbox."

I sat up and threw my feet over the edge of my bed, taking the envelope from him. It was small with no postmark or return address. All it said was "Bella" in sloppy writing. I stared up at Charlie, confused.

"I'd bet serious money that it's from Jake, Bells," he said gruffly.

I snorted and handed the envelope back to him. "Trash it," I said.

Charlie let out an exasperated sigh. "Now I don't know what happened between the two of you, and it's not any of my business, but obviously he's very sorry for whatever he said or did."

"So if Allyn left me a note saying he was sorry would you forgive him too?" I snapped. I was surprised at myself for saying something so awful. I had no idea where that had come from.

"Of course not." I was amazed that Charlie kept his composure given the unintentional venom that was in my voice. That only made me feel more guilty. "Are you implying Jacob has done something similar to what that lowlife did? If so, you need to tell me."

"No," I sighed. "Nothing like that. We just got into an argument and we both overreacted."

"Must have been some argument," he muttered under his breath.

I rolled my eyes. "It was really stupid. It was about the Cullens."

Charlie's eyebrows knit together. "What about them?"

I hadn't told Charlie about my last meeting with Edward after nearly falling down the steps at the bookstore. It didn't even seem relevant now. "Jacob got angry because I made the point of saying that I didn't think they were bad people. That maybe he's just misjudging them."

He rubbed his eyes and groaned. "They are misjudging them. No doubt about it. I'm sorry that happened. I really thought Jacob would be a good friend for you to have."

I remained silent, not really sure what I could contribute to the conversation. It was clear that I would never understand the "complications" between the Blacks and the Cullens. Frankly, I didn't care. I could only judge from what I had personally experienced. While I didn't know Edward from Adam, I could never picture Esme or Dr. Cullen ever doing anything so horrible to cause Jacob to react this way.

"I'll talk to Billy, but until then, I really think you should read that letter."

"Please don't," I begged. "I feel like you talking to Billy will only make things worse. What good is that letter going to do?"

Charlie began to turn red and avoided any further eye contact. He started fidgeting with the envelope.

I couldn't help but smile. "You read it, didn't you?"

"Well, I had to make sure that it was Jacob and not someone else trying to contact you." Charlie's increasing discomfort was almost humorous. He had been caught red-handed.

I placed my hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, Dad."

"Anytime," he said. "You have your next appointment with Esme today, right?"

My smile disappeared. "Maybe. I'm not going." Given my mood lately, I was in no shape to talk through my problems. Deep down, I knew that it would probably do me a great deal of good, but I wouldn't dare admit that to anyone.

"Bella, I know you're struggling. But you need to make friends. You need to go out and make a life for yourself. It's not healthy staying holed up in here all the time."

"I know that," I argued. "I just don't feel like going out today, that's all."

Charlie sighed. "I can't force you to go. But I think skipping out on your appointment is going to be a very big mistake." He stood up and laid the envelope down next to me on the comforter. "I'll see you tonight. I hope you decide to meet with Esme."

He patted my knee before disappearing down the hall. I waited until I heard the front door open and Charlie's cruiser leave the driveway. I picked up the envelope and ripped it in half before throwing it in the trash bin.

I stayed on the edge of my bed for what felt like a very long time, watching the clock on my end table. I placed my head in my hands, toying with whether or not I should just go to my appointment. I knew I wasn't going to make any headway with Esme today, but a part of me wondered what would happen if I mentioned Jacob Black during my session. I knew that legally she wouldn't be able to tell me anything, but maybe I could get enough of an idea.

I pushed myself off the bed and retreated to my closet, throwing on jeans and a sweatshirt. I didn't have enough time to take a shower due to my inner argument with myself, so I threw my hair up into a pathetic ponytail. I hurried to my truck before I could change my mind.

Before I knew it, I was in front of Esme's office with just two minutes to spare. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself as I peered around the parking lot, looking for unexpected visitors. There were only two cars parked towards the front: a white Mercedes and the same green Toyota that the crying, curly-haired girl had been driving the last time I was here.

I heard a chime as the front door to the office opened. Esme was holding it open for the curly-haired girl who still seemed to be an emotional mess. Her eyes were puffy, her nose was red, and she looked like she hadn't slept since the last time I had seen her.

They exchanged goodbyes as I sheepishly hopped out of the truck and headed towards the front door. I was careful not to slip on any of the ice. That would be the last thing I needed.

"Good afternoon, Bella," Esme said with a warm smile. "I'm so glad you made it."

I returned the smile, partially forced, as I ducked under her arm into the lobby. It wasn't much warmer in here than it was outside. I suppressed a shiver as I pulled the collar of my sweatshirt up to my chin.

Esme led me into her office which was dimly lit. A sound machine was playing soft forest noises in the corner. I wasn't usually into that sort of thing, but today, I found the noise strangely calming. It was if a tremendous weight had been lifted off my shoulders as I took my place in the middle of the couch.

She sat across from me in the comfy-looking lounge chair, crossing her legs and placing her elegant hands on one knee. "I have to say, you look much better than the last time you were here."

I snorted. "I do?"

Esme smiled and laughed. The noise reminded me of wind chimes. "Yes, you do. I can tell you've been getting more sleep."

She wasn't wrong. I had spent the entire week so worked up during the day that by the time Charlie and I would finish dinner, I was exhausted. I didn't sleep particularly well, but I was still able to catch at least four hours off and on. Not to mention I wasn't seeing Allyn anymore which was a huge help. He was only present in my nightmares, but I never allowed myself to sleep deeply enough to dream anymore.

I shrugged. "I guess things are a little better."

"Wonderful! How is Forks treating you? Are you making any friends?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "You know, that's actually a pretty loaded question."

She cocked her head to one side, confused. "Is it?"

"Extremely," I said, my tone resembled that of a robot. "I had reconnected with an old childhood friend, but we just don't see eye-to-eye. So I guess I'm back at square one."

Esme didn't seem surprised. "That's a very common problem. People tend to change quite a bit over the years when they mature. What do you two not see eye-to-eye on? Perhaps it's something that can be worked through."

"I really don't think it is." This is where I had to start being careful. If I wanted to get any information, I had to do this discreetly. I thought before I spoke, making sure that this didn't sound like I was fishing. "He's from the reservation. He and his father are pretty stuck in their views. The judgemental types, I guess."

Esme's lips pressed into a straight line and her eyebrows raised. For once, she was hesitating before she responded. I tried to compose my facial expression. I could tell she knew exactly who I was referring to. "Sometimes you really can't sway someone away from their feelings or judgments."

Her response was fairly surprising to me. She seemed to always have an enlightening comment to make about everything up until now.

I shrugged. "It's not necessarily that I'm trying to change his mind about anything. He won't talk to me about it, no matter how hard I try. I just don't see how I can be friends with someone who refuses to open up to me and help me understand."

She was silent for a long time again. I studied her as she briefly broke eye contact with me. Something had definitely happened between the Cullens and the Blacks. I was certain of it now.

Esme managed to snap back into her usual, compassionate self. She flashed me a dazzling smile, causing me to almost forget what we were even talking about. "Then I think you're making a very smart decision, Bella. Maybe it's for the best that you and this childhood friend can't work this out. While I don't know what your situation is, I would venture to guess that you don't need a friendship that will potentially just cause you stress. Speaking of which, is the reason for your stress something you feel ready to talk about?"

That beautiful smile made it nearly impossible to argue with her. She was good at steering the conversation. A part of me felt that she knew what I was doing, but how could she? Jacob hadn't technically told me anything.

I cleared my throat and looked away from her, hoping to clear my head. My mind seemed strangely foggy and I found it hard to concentrate. "I think that maybe we should start off with the simple things before we get into the real reason why I'm here. It's really a long story. And I'm not sure if I'm completely ready to talk about it all just yet."

"I have all the time in the world, Bella," Esme urged. Something in her tone made me think that her comment was some sort of inside joke she had with herself.

I let out a deep breath and closed my eyes. "All of this started because of my ex-boyfriend. That's why I'm here." I felt so stupid as I said that out loud. "I know that probably sounds cliche. But there's so much more to it than that."

"Always is," Esme said. Once again, she didn't seem at all surprised. I wondered if I put off some sort of aura that she was able to interpret before I ever even said anything.

"I can assure you that I'm not just some girl that can't handle a break-up or something."

Esme laughed softly. "Like I've said, I don't know you at all, but I tend to be a good judge of character. I promise I never thought of you that way."

I returned the laugh, relieved. "I'm glad to hear that." I fidgeted with my fingers as I stared down at the floor. "I guess that's why it's so hard to talk about. I don't want people to think of me a certain way without really understanding everything first. Without understanding _me_ first."

"I'd say that's a perfectly normal way to feel. How would you like to start off simple? Perhaps explain how you met?"

"Works for me." That was definitely simple enough. Strangely, I hadn't thought of that moment in a very long time. "Allyn and I used to joke that it would be a story for the grandchildren."

"So his name is Allyn?"

"Yes," I whispered. "My mom had been gone and I wasn't really used to being at home alone so much. So I started spending a lot of time reading at a coffee shop inside of a bookstore that was close by. I saw Allyn there all the time. He kept to himself and was always alone, just like me. We would look at each other occasionally, but didn't ever speak to each other."

I explained how that changed. One day, after I had gotten my coffee from the barista, I tripped over a chair and sent the hot liquid flying straight onto him. Luckily he had been wearing a leather jacket, so it didn't burn him or stain any of his clothing. I apologized profusely as I handed him a bunch of napkins, but he surprised me by laughing. Then he said, "If you wanted to talk to me, all you had to do was ask. Not drown me in coffee as an excuse."

It was very odd to be recalling our first meeting. He had been so charming, not at all the person he was now. A part of me wanted to smile at the memory, but a better portion wanted to cry and curse my pathetic clumsiness.

"If I hadn't tripped that day, none of this would have even happened," I finally said, my voice lower than a whisper. "If only I had known . . ."

Esme looked concerned. "You can't blame yourself, Bella. How could you have possibly known?"

I snorted. "If I had, I would have dumped the hot coffee on his head and stormed out of the place."

She wasn't at all amused by my feeble attempt at making a joke. She placed her hand under her chin. "We can't go through life wishing we had done things differently. I understand it's human nature to have regrets, but whatever happened was certainly not your fault."

"I beg to differ," I mumbled. Truth be told, some of it was very much my fault. "I made mistakes too. The biggest one would be ignoring the red flags and for letting it go on for so long. I am not going to play the victim card."

"Bella, you _are_ a victim. While not playing the 'victim card', as you put it, shows maturity and strength, you are still perfectly allowed to from what I can tell."

I shrugged. "Maybe. I accept responsibility for my mistakes. I do place blame on myself where it's deserved. I guess the fact that it's been held over my head for so long makes me feel more guilty than I should."

Esme nodded in agreement. "He used your mistakes against you." It wasn't a question.

"Yes, all the time." I rubbed my eyes before placing my hands over my face. "It was torture. He expected me to be perfect all the time. Every time I tried to meet his expectations, it was always never good enough. I guess eventually I even lost my sense of right and wrong. It was hard to tell when he was making mistakes because he was so focused on pointing out mine."

"I find that patients who have suffered severe mental and emotional abuse do tend to lose sight of what's a normal behavior and what's not. What you experienced is normal. Anyone would have developed the same feelings."

I laughed once without humor. "That should make me feel better, but it really doesn't."

Esme flashed her trademark maternal grin. "Bella," she said softly. "It's going to take some time. We will work through it all. One day, you will feel better." She reached out and placed a hand on my knee. Her skin was shockingly cold, even through the thick denim of my jeans.

"Thank you," I whispered. "I really don't think I can talk about this anymore today. I'm sorry."

She simply nodded as she pulled her hand away. "Well, I think we've made some serious headway. I'm really proud of the progress you're making. What do you say about coming back at the same time next week?"

"Sure," was all I managed to say. I felt so mentally drained. All I wanted to do was go home and get some rest. After all, I was still healing physically. Being out for the first time in a week had rendered me sore and achy.

Esme walked me out to the front door. "Jasper, please put Bella down for the same time next week," she said over her shoulder. I hadn't even realized that the blonde man from my first visit was sitting behind the glass. He threw Esme a stiff nod, his jaw clenched, and turned towards the computer.

She held the door open for me, the cold air hitting me harder than I would have expected. We exchanged goodbyes and I headed home.

Once I pulled into the driveway, I spent no extra time getting inside. I hurried through the front door, immediately locking it behind me. I still had a few hours before Charlie came home, so I decided to take a hot shower. It significantly helped my various aches and pains, much to my surprise. I hoped that it would be just enough comfort in order for me to grab a quick nap.

After throwing on my favorite pair of sweats, I curled up into bed and flicked on the flat screen for background noise. I propped up pillows and turned just enough that I could see out the window and get a view of the driveway if I opened my eyes. Unfortunately, it wasn't just the window that was catching my attention.

Jacob's letter that I had ripped in half and thrown in the trash bin was practically an eyesore. I tried to block my view of the bin while keeping the window and flat screen in my view, but to no avail, I found myself staring at it.

Frustrated, I rolled out of bed and grabbed the letter. I took the two pieces out of the ripped envelope and placed them together.

"Bella," it read.

 _Words can't describe how sorry I am. Please just give me a chance to explain. I can't tell you any details. But I will try my best to help you understand why -_

The front door slammed, causing me to jump nearly a foot in the air. I dropped the two halves of Jacob's letter and threw my bedroom door open. Charlie was standing at the foot of the stairs, his expression full of sheer panic.

"Dad?" I said. "What's wrong?"

"Uh," he muttered. "Bella, we need to talk. You should probably sit down."

Fear bubbled up in my throat. I was unable to speak as I joined him in the living room. I cautiously sat down on the couch as he paced in front of me, rubbing the back of his neck and taking deep breaths.

"What happened?" I asked, terrified of the answer.

"I really don't know the best way to tell you this, so I'm just going to come out and say it." Charlie let out a shaky sigh. "Allyn is in Jacksonville. He broke into your mother's house last night."


	13. Tomorrow

**A/N: I know some of you probably hate me for that cliffhanger! Luckily I had time to start writing the next chapter as soon as I posted that last one, so no need to wait too long! I'm not going to lie though, I had a very hard time writing this chapter. I wanted to get it just right! Enjoy :)**

Before I knew it, I was driving. I had no idea where I was going, but I needed to just go. A part of me wanted to drive across the country to Jacksonville. It would take a person driving in a brand new car about a week to get there. There was no telling how long it would take in this tank of a truck. I didn't care. It would certainly keep me busy. Maybe not staying in one place for long would bring me a sense of peace.

Even though Renee and Phil weren't harmed, I was in a complete and total panic. What I was feeling had surpassed a normal anxiety attack. My chest ached, tears were flowing down my cheeks at a shocking rate, and every inch of my body was shaking. I felt as if I were about to crawl out of my own skin.

Allyn now knew that I was not in Jacksonville, which meant it was only a matter of time before he tracked me down here in Forks. There was no way that I could stay.

After the situation had been explained by my mother over the phone, reassuring me that Allyn didn't lay a finger on her or Phil, Charlie let me leave. I think he knew that I couldn't just sit at home and wallow any longer. I could tell he didn't approve of my driving in the state I was in. He had started to beg me not to go, at least until I calmed down, but I was already halfway down the driveway before he could even finish. At nineteen years old, legally, he couldn't stop me. There wouldn't have been anything he could do. He knew that.

I don't think he would have expected me to actually go anywhere far, but I was still undecided. Frankly, I didn't want to be anywhere. I wished I could just drive my truck straight off the face of the Earth.

The rain was pouring down just as hard as my tears. It was difficult to see the road between the darkness, my cloudy vision, and the weather. But I couldn't bring myself to slow down. I knew what I was doing was incredibly stupid. I knew better than to drive like this, but I couldn't think of anything else to do. I felt the need to drive as fast as my heart was pounding.

All I could picture in my head was Renee's description of what had happened in Jacksonville. Allyn had kicked down her and Phil's front door, no doubt in a drunken rage. He proceeded to ransack the place, looking for any evidence that I had been there.

Once Phil had greeted him in the living room with a baseball bat, Allyn began screaming "just tell me where she is". Phil had swung the bat once as a warning before Allyn disappeared. Phil had chased after him down the street for a while as Renee called the police. But Phil couldn't keep up. And Allyn hadn't been found.

"He's crazy, Bella," Renee had exclaimed. "I'm so glad you decided not to come here. I don't know what I would do with myself if he ever hurt you again."

I was thankful that no real harm had been done to my mother and stepfather. But guilt overwhelmed me. I always knew there was a possibility that Allyn would come looking for me, potentially putting anyone who associated with me in danger. I had hoped that the thought of that was just my paranoia talking. After all, he hated me so much. He beat me senselessly for months. How much could I possibly mean to him if he was willing to put me through so much pain?

My foot pressed the gas pedal down as hard as it could go. Jacob had said not to try and go over 55 miles per hour, but I had surpassed 65 and the truck hadn't faltered. I watched as the needle climbed towards 70. Then 75. Then 80.

There was a slight sputter in the engine before a dark-haired figure wearing a black leather jacket appeared in my headlights. The man's fists were clenched and the expression on his face was murderous. It was _him_.

Even through the sheen of the rain, Allyn's unmistakable and icy blue eyes bore into mine as I slammed on my brakes. I felt the wheels lose their traction while I hydroplaned down the dark road. A scream got caught in my throat as I scrambled to take control of the wheel. A horrible screeching followed by metal crunching erupted in my ears before I jolted to a stop.

My head flew forward, nearly hitting the top of my steering wheel. My breath came out in wild gasps. I was sobbing hysterically, still gripping the wheel as if I were still moving. I couldn't see anything outside in the least. I sunk deeper into my seat, praying I could just disappear.

The driver's side door opened, surprising me, but I didn't even have the energy to jump in response. _This is it,_ I thought to myself. I obviously hadn't hit him. Allyn was surely about to kill me. In a way, I was practically welcoming the end.

"Bella! Are you alright?"

My eyes snapped open. There was no mistaking that velvet voice. Edward Cullen was standing next to me, completely soaked from the rain. His expression was that of pure horror and concern, which I didn't at all understand. I tried to respond, but no words came out. I simply continued to sob and shook my head.

In one fluid movement, Edward unfastened my seatbelt and pulled me out of the truck. I may as well have been as light as a feather to him. He made lifting my dead weight seem like nothing. Normally, I would have protested. Edward was a complete and total stranger to me. And here he was, carrying me away from my newly wrecked truck. But I just couldn't force myself to care.

Instead, I buried my head in his chest as I sobbed. He opened the passenger side door of his Volvo and set me down. In a matter of seconds, he was sitting in the driver's seat, adjusting the heat settings. I wondered how he got there so quickly. Or maybe I had imagined how fast he was moving.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, his voice eerily calm.

 _Yes_ , I said in my head. Physically, I was fine. But in every other aspect, I was way past the point of "hurt". I may as well have been in pieces.

I settled for shaking my head since I still couldn't find words to speak. He let me just sit there and cry for what felt like a very long time. I wasn't used to appearing this vulnerable. And to him, I probably seemed insanely pathetic. But much to my surprise, his facial expression stayed genuinely concerned and patient.

After a while, I seemed to finally find my voice. "Did I hit him?" I asked between sobs.

Edward pulled away the slightest bit, clearly confused. "Who? You didn't hit anything besides that tree, Bella."

I jerked my head up, peering through the rain. My truck was resting up against a large tree, covered in mud. I bolted out of the car and ran towards the scene. Aside from a giant dent on the side of the truck bed, there was no other damage.

Unable to believe my eyes, I leaned in closer to get a better look, but there was nothing left to find.

I let out a long breath I had no idea I had been holding. I leaned up against the truck, placing my face on my forearm as I took in sighs of relief. Allyn hadn't really been there. It was just my imagination running awry. I was safe. For now, at least.

"What exactly are you doing?" Edward was suddenly behind me. I couldn't imagine how strange I must have looked, studying the front of my truck when the side of it was what was damaged and crumpled against a tree.

"I just had to make sure . . ." I allowed my voice to trail off. I didn't owe him an explanation. Frankly, I was too busy coming down from the adrenaline to worry much about talking or how I must have appeared. At this point, I was more worried about not passing out.

"Are you sure you're alright? You didn't hit your head or anything?"

"I'm fine," I said. My voice was a complete monotone. It was amazing how quickly I had gone numb. It was almost as if my body had shut itself off after experiencing too much stress at one time.

The cold rain pounded down on top of us. I hadn't necessarily dressed according to the weather. In my panic, I hadn't thought to grab a raincoat before storming out of the house. I'm sure any other day, I would have been freezing. Instead, I was burning up. If it weren't for the rain, I'd have guessed I was even sweating.

My knees buckled as a dizzy spell hit me hard. The edges of my vision grew fuzzy. _Don't you dare pass out, Bella_ , I thought to myself.

Edward stepped forward as if he were ready to catch me. "I really think I need to take you to the hospital. You don't look well."

"I'm fine," I snapped. "I'm just going to go home."

"Oh, no you don't." Before I could walk away, firm fingers wrapped their way around my upper arm. "There is no way I am letting you drive right now. I'm taking you to the emergency room."

I stared back at Edward in utter disbelief and attempted to yank my arm away. Even though it was a pretty weak effort, he didn't even flinch. He may as well have been a statue. "I am _fine_. I didn't hit my head. I just want to go home." I sounded like a child throwing a temper tantrum. "Why do you even care?"

He snorted and mumbled something unintelligible under his breath. His lips moved so fast that I couldn't have even begun to read them. " _Please_ just get in the car, Bella," Edward urged. The look of concern was completely gone. His growing frustration was evident on his perfect face. His topaz eyes seemed to be burning a hole in my skull.

"No." I set my jaw and stared back at him, trying to match his fierce expression. I tried to keep myself from wobbling and squinted my eyes, attempting to sharpen my increasingly cloudy vision.

"You are, without a doubt, one of the most stubborn people I have ever met." He let out an exasperated sigh and leaned closer to me. "You just got into an accident. You're not driving. And you're in no shape to be standing out here in the rain arguing with me either," he breathed, his face only inches from mine.

Suddenly, my mind went blank. I blinked a few times, gawking at him in awe. How did he do that?

"Um," I stuttered. "Okay."

Edward pulled away, looking more than amused with himself. A glimmer of concern was still present in his eyes as he slipped his arm around my waist, no doubt taking note of my unsteadiness. He led me back to his car, carrying most of my weight as my feet struggled to cooperate.

He sat me down in the passenger's seat and buckled my seatbelt for me. He took his place behind the wheel, just as fast as the first time. I certainly hadn't imagined his speed.

"What about my truck?" I asked. There was no way that I would be well enough to drive it myself anytime soon. But I didn't feel comfortable leaving it on the side of the road either.

Edward placed a long, pale finger on his chin as he pondered. "I'll make sure it's back in your driveway by morning."

I stared back at him, confused. With a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes, he held up his hand. The keys to my truck were resting on his palm. I hadn't even seen him take them out of the ignition. In fact, I don't see how he would have even had the opportunity to.

"I told you. I had no intention of letting you drive."

I'm sure I would have been furious if I wasn't so exhausted and dizzy. I pursed my lips and forced myself to look away from him. "You're really controlling," I muttered under my breath.

"Only when I have to be," he said matter-of-factly.

I took a deep breath before turning to glare at him as fiercely as my body would allow. In my overwhelming fatigue, I could only hope that it was convincing, though I sincerely doubted it. "Fine. But you're taking me home. I'm not going to the hospital."

Edward raised his eyebrows at my tone. "Now who's controlling?"

I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest. I turned my attention to the windshield. He wouldn't be able to convince me otherwise if I simply refused to look at him again.

He sighed. "You promise that you did not hit your head?"

"I did not hit my head." I made a point to sound like I was making an important oath, hoping that would be enough attitude for him to just drop it. I had spent enough time in hospitals over the past few months. I had no intention of going back to one if I could help it.

"Alright. I'll take you home."

"Thanks," I mumbled as he turned the car around.

For a while, we sat in silence. I didn't know what there was to say. I was having such a hard time keeping my eyes open that I feared I would fall asleep before I could give him directions. I struggled to focus on something that would capture my attention enough for me to stay awake. But given that it was dark and raining, there was absolutely nothing to look at. It was pitch black.

"So," Edward finally said. "Who did you think you hit?"

"A deer," I lied. "That's why I swerved."

"I didn't see a deer." Edward glanced in my direction, watching my reaction.

"How would you know?" I argued. "Where did you even come from anyway? I didn't see your car anywhere."

"I was behind you almost the whole time. Perhaps you should have been paying more attention." I caught him throw another sideways glance at me.

I sighed angrily. "It's hard to see with the rain. Maybe that's why you didn't see the deer."

"I have perfect eyesight," he said. There was a hint of a smile in his voice.

I let it go, deciding I simply didn't have the ability to keep up an argument with him. I knew that no matter what I did, I wasn't going to be able to convince him otherwise. I was a terrible liar. For some reason that I didn't understand, he was especially hard to lie to.

"Have you been drinking?"

This ignited a fire in me. "Absolutely not!" I nearly yelled. "I don't drink."

Edward wasn't phased at all. "I didn't think so," he said. "I didn't smell any alcohol but had to ask due to your . . . erratic driving."

My cheeks grew hot in fury. Why did he have to be so irritating? "I suppose now you're going to tell me how perfect your sense of smell is too?"

To my surprise, he laughed. "I guess you could say that."

"Good for you," I muttered.

I leaned my head up against the window. The cold glass felt nice against my cheek. I wondered if I had spiked a fever. I obviously hadn't stuck to my strict regimen of a "low-stress environment" after today's events. I hoped it was just the crash of adrenaline and nothing else.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on steadying my breathing. It bothered me that I wasn't more concerned about being alone in a car with a boy I didn't even know. I felt strangely safe with Edward though. Despite him being absolutely infuriating, something about him told me that I had no reason to be worried about anything.

"We're here," Edward said softly.

I jumped as he broke the silence. I looked around, my mind foggy. We were in my driveway parked behind Charlie's police cruiser. Had I fallen asleep?

Before I could ask how he knew where I lived, he was out of the car and opening the passenger door for me. I stared at him, struggling to remember how to move.

He cocked his head to the side, his eyebrows knitting together. "I really regret not taking you to the hospital."

 _Snap out of it,_ I thought to myself. I gently shook my head to get my bearings before standing up, but something held me down. I couldn't figure out why I couldn't get out of the seat. It took me a moment to realize that I still had my seatbelt on.

Edward sighed and shook his head. He leaned over me, popping the release of the buckle. He was so beautiful, causing me to drown in insecurity. Even his smell, which was far too subtle to be cologne, was more than pleasant. Everything about him drew me in even though I would never admit that aloud.

As he straightened up, I noticed that his jaw was clenched tight. He seemed to do that all the time and I wondered why. Maybe he found me just as infuriating as I found him. He backed away, allowing me enough room to pull myself out of the car.

"Bella!" Charlie came barreling out of the front door, still in uniform. As we walked up the steps of the front porch, he began glancing frantically from me to Edward. "What happened? I've been worried sick. I should never have let you leave."

"Well, I-," I began to explain before Edward cut me off.

"We ran into each other up at the Thriftway. She was upset and I wasn't comfortable with her driving in the state she was in, so I offered to take her home to make sure she got back safely."

I had to fight to not turn and look at him as he told this lie perfectly. The only flaw would be my trying to explain the giant dent in the truck bed that he would certainly notice. But I would worry about that later.

Charlie seemed to relax the slightest bit but didn't take his eyes off Edward. "Well, uh, thanks. I appreciate it."

"No problem, sir." Edward turned to me. "I'll see you tomorrow, Bella." He positioned his face just enough to the side to wink at me while concealing the gesture from Charlie. I grew weak at the knees again, but this time, it had nothing to do with my exhaustion.

Ever so gracefully, he returned to his car. I watched as he backed out of the driveway and disappeared into the darkness. Strangely, I was sad to see him leave.

"Let's get you inside," Charlie said, his tone extremely disappointed.

We ducked into the warm house. I hadn't realized that I was still soaked completely through from standing out in the rain, studying my truck for so long. I also hadn't paid attention to my body temperature. I was now absolutely freezing.

Charlie threw me a towel from the linen closet. "Now, Bella, I know you've had a rough day and I get that you needed some time alone to process all of this. So I'm going to postpone this talk until tomorrow." The beet red tinge on his face that I hoped was gone for good had returned. "But you will never do that to me again, understand?"

I felt incredibly guilty. "I'm sorry, Dad," I whispered, staring down at the floor.

He sighed and wrapped his arms around me. "I can't imagine what you're going through right now, Bells. I just don't know what to do to help you."

My eyes burned as the tears began to well up. I blinked a few times, trying to get a handle on myself before he caught me crying. "I know, I'm sorry. I don't know what to do to help myself either."

"We'll get through it. Everything will be just fine," he reassured me before pulling away. Charlie avoided my gaze. I wondered if he was choked up too. "Now go on and get some sleep."

I nodded once before retreating up the stairs. I slipped out of my sopping wet sweats and changed into a pair of flannel pajamas. I crawled into bed, pulling the comforter over my face as I suppressed a shiver.

The last thing I thought of was Edward's voice. "See you tomorrow, Bella."


	14. Superstition

**A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews! Enjoy!**

I couldn't remember the last time I had slept so well. For once, my rest hadn't been plagued with nightmares. I pulled the comforter closer to my face as I glanced at the alarm clock. It was 7:00 am. I couldn't remember what time I had gone to sleep, but I felt that I had at least gotten in a solid 8 hours.

Sliding my feet out of the bed and onto the floor, I stretched. My entire body felt different. I wondered if this was what being a normal human being felt like. I turned to glance out of my bedroom window which had become more of a habit than anything. Charlie's police cruiser was gone. Strangely, I didn't feel anxiety bubbling up in my chest like I would have any other day once I realized I was alone.

I carried myself into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I did a double take. The dark circles underneath my eyes that I had gotten so used to had completely vanished. My face was free of bruises and my expression wasn't full of misery.

I wasn't at the point where I could say that I was happy. When that day finally came, if it ever did, I knew I wouldn't even be able to recognize it. But I didn't feel hopeless anymore.

I took my time getting ready for the day. Edward hadn't specified a time as to when he would be returning with my truck, but I was sure it would be a while. Not many people our age would be up this early.

Once I finished brushing my teeth and yanked a comb through my unruly hair, I wrapped a towel around myself and made my way to my closet. Allyn had always been very particular about the clothes I wore and his tastes weren't anywhere close to mine. In my hurry to leave him, I had left most of my outfits behind, limiting my choices even further.

I glared at the very few options hanging in front of me. I didn't want to seem like I was trying to look good, but I didn't want to seem like I didn't care about my appearance either. After all, he was simply dropping by to bring me my truck. It wasn't anything to get too excited over.

I settled for jeans and one of my favorite blue sweaters. I stood in front of the mirror adjusting it so it hung just right over the denim for much longer than I'd care to admit to anyone. In the corner of my eye, the scraps of paper that made up Jacob's letter were screaming at me to be read.

Frankly, I knew the letter wouldn't change anything. But my curiosity was finally getting the best of me. From what little I had already read of it, I knew there was nothing on there that would give me enough information to satisfy me.

I sighed as I turned away from the mirror, gathering up the pieces of paper.

 _Bella,_

 _Words can't describe how sorry I am. Please just give me a chance to explain. I can't tell you any details. But I will try my best to help you understand why things are this way. People in this town aren't the way they seem. I wish I could tell you everything, but I can't. It has absolutely nothing to do with you. If you give me a chance, I'll tell you as much as I'm allowed._

 _I'm sorry I got angry. Please don't feel like it's anything you did._

 _Jacob_

I stared at the letter for what seemed like a very long time. Sinking down on the edge of my bed, the word "allowed" repeated over and over in my mind. I had no idea what that meant. Why couldn't he just tell me? What could be so important that he wouldn't be "allowed" to give me details?

A flash of red through my bedroom window caught my attention. My heart racing, I jumped up and shoved the letter underneath my pillow. I would deal with that later.

I flew down the stairs, surprising myself when I didn't trip. I paced around in the hallway as I waited for a knock on the door. Feeling silly, I moved into the kitchen. If I answered the door too quickly, he'd probably know I had been waiting. Seeming too eager is the last thing I needed after my continuously awful first impressions.

It felt like ages had passed before that knock I had been waiting for finally echoed down the hall. I took a deep breath and smoothed my sweater down over my jeans one more time before proceeding to the front door.

Before turning the knob, I took another deep breath. My hands were clammy and shaking as I pulled the door open. My heart rate jumped the tiniest bit at the sight of the ever so perfect Edward Cullen. He was wearing jeans, a white T-shirt, and a beige leather jacket. For some reason, the simplicity made him even more attractive.

"Hi," I breathed. I internally kicked myself for sounding so pathetic. _Get yourself together, Bella,_ I thought. _There's no way he'd be interested in someone like you._

Edward cracked a smile which immediately caused me to go weak at the knees. He gestured behind him. "Your truck, as promised."

I peered past him, a little nervous to see the damage in daylight. The side of the truck bed had looked so horrible even through the rain and darkness. But to my extreme surprise, there was nothing there.

"What?" I said in complete awe. "But . . . there was a dent . . . I know there was."

He laughed. "We got it out for you."

"Who's we?"

"My brother and I," he said slowly as if he were making sure I could understand him. "It wasn't as bad as it looked. It took him maybe five minutes to straighten it out." There was a hint of humor in his voice like there was a detail that I was missing out on.

I let out a long sigh of relief. Now I didn't have to worry about explaining any of this to Charlie. The less he knew about last night, the better. He was already upset with me for running off the way I did. I couldn't have been happier to learn that I wouldn't have to explain myself. "Thank you. I can pay you both for fixing it."

Edward almost seemed offended. He waved his hand dismissively. "That won't be necessary."

My face grew hot. "Well, thank you. For everything."

"Anytime, Bella." His smile that followed was warm. It was so strange to me, having hated him so much in the beginning. Almost every move he made drew me in. I couldn't even explain it. I couldn't imagine ever hating him now.

Edward's facial expression changed abruptly. His head cocked the slightest bit to the side as he rocked back on his heels. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was uncomfortable. I suddenly felt extremely self-conscious.

"Bella?" a voice called from somewhere behind Edward. My stomach immediately flipped as I realized who it was.

Lifting myself slightly onto my toes so I could look over Edward's shoulders, I saw Jacob Black standing in my driveway. He was practically frozen in shock, his hands balled into fists.

Edward's jaw clenched, but he never turned around. He knew exactly who was just feet away from him. His nostrils flared and his eyes seemed to glisten in what I assumed was fury.

Still, Jacob kept his distance. His eyes had narrowed into slits as he stared at us both on my front porch. The silence was deafening and awkward. I rubbed the back of my neck, unsure of what to do or say.

I knew for sure that something had happened between their families. And now that I was witnessing the two of them in the same vicinity, I was realizing that maybe I hadn't taken it as seriously as I should have in the beginning. Whatever it was, it was big.

"Hi, Jake," I said sheepishly. As soon as the pathetic greeting left my mouth, Edward looked down at me as if he were disappointed in me somehow.

Edward composed his face, his lips pressing into a hard, straight line. "I'll be leaving now. Your keys are in the ignition. Take care of yourself." The formality and tone of his voice made me incredibly nervous. It sounded as if something as simple as "take care of yourself" had more than one meaning.

"Wait, how are you going to get home?" I asked before he could turn away. He had driven my truck here, leaving him without transportation. I hadn't even thought about it when he mentioned bringing it back to me last night.

"I'll walk."

The shortness of his statement stung as he walked down the steps. My throat burned. It seemed like no matter what, something always happened to make me look bad or crazy in front of Edward. Whether it was seeing people that weren't there, driving and crying like an absolute maniac, or his worst enemy showing up at my home, it was always something. Even more so, I hated to admit that I cared about how he thought of me. I didn't stand a chance either way. In the state I was in, I had no business feeling that way.

Once he passed by Jacob, he slowed his pace. Jacob said something to him under his breath and Edward immediately tensed. It may have been the wind, but I could swear that one of them was snarling. Edward snapped back with an unintelligible response. The only word I thought I could hear was "mongrel".

Edward looked over his shoulder at me. I had expected him to look furious, but instead, his expression was worried. His topaz eyes seemed to see right through me, even from quite a few feet away. I felt frozen in his gaze.

With a stiff nod in my direction, he began to walk away. Edward was normally very graceful in every move he made. But this time was different. He seemed to regret every step he took as he left, making him appear stiff and robotic. Jacob glared after him, making sure he was completely off of the property before heading in my direction.

If I didn't know any better, I'd say that neither one of them trusted the other to be alone with me. Despite their behavior, I wouldn't consider Edward or Jacob dangerous. The fact that I had nothing to help me understand was infuriating.

"What was he doing here?" Jacob asked. He was no longer angry. Instead, he was surprisingly calm even though there was something a little off about his dark eyes. I could tell he was fighting to sound conversational.

"Long story," I responded. Just like Charlie, the less Jacob knew, the better.

He crossed his arms over his chest. "I really hoped you would take my advice and stay away from them."

"Give me a reason to," I challenged. "You can't just tell someone you hardly know what to do and expect them to listen to you. And then turn around and get angry about it. We aren't even friends. I'm practically a stranger to you."

I could tell that had hurt him. He dropped his gaze to his feet. "I'm _trying_ , Bella," he said, his voice strained. "I meant it when I said I'm not allowed to talk about this."

"What does that even mean, Jacob? 'Not allowed'?" I tried to control my tone, but I had grown exhausted of constantly beating around the bush. I just wanted to know the truth instead of arguing with him. "You're your own person. I don't understand why you can't just tell me. It's not like I'd repeat it to anyone."

Suddenly, his eyes were very serious and his face was full of pain. "You have no idea how tight I'm bound," Jacob whispered. "Have you ever wanted to talk about something, but it's like your body won't allow you to?"

He already knew the answer to that. As manipulative of a move that was, he had a point. There were so many times where I would sit down with Charlie and be prepared to really talk about everything instead of just scratch the surface. Even with Esme, I had every intention to talk. But every time I tried, I would subconsciously shut down. There were even things that my mind had blocked out because I wasn't ready to face them. Truly, it was an awful feeling.

"Yes," I said, surrendering. "I do know what that's like."

Jacob nodded. "I thought you might. I _want_ to tell you. But think of it as I'm physically unable to talk about it. So I'm going to figure out a way around this. I hate that you're mad at me, Bella. I want to fix it."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Why? You don't even know me. Why does it matter?"

Jacob smiled. "When I first came over here to bring you your truck, we sat down and talked like we'd been friends for years. That doesn't happen often. Then when you got sick . . ." he trailed off. "I care about you, Bella. I don't know what you've been through and I know I've acted like a complete ass. I want to be here for you. Maybe we can help each other."

I couldn't deny that he was right. I hadn't been able to sit down and really connect with a person in a really long time. Jacob had originally seemed like the type of person I really needed as a friend. Like Edward, maybe he and I had gotten off on the wrong foot.

I sighed. "You have to understand that I came here for a reason. And no, you don't know what I've been through and we are a long ways off about ever talking about it. I can't surround myself with this kind of a thing or get stuck in the middle of this feud you have with the Cullens. I want no part of it."

"I know that," Jacob urged. "It wasn't fair of me to do that to you. So I am going to do my best. Just bear with me while I figure out a way around this, 'kay?"

"Alright." I backed up and held the front door open to allow him enough room to come in. He joined me in the living room. I sat down on the couch as he took a seat in the recliner across from me.

He began rubbing his eyes, mumbling to himself. "I'm trying to think of a way that I can tell you without coming right out and saying it . . . a way for me to talk as little as possible."

"Maybe if I start asking 'yes' or 'no' questions?" I suggested.

"Sure, let's give that a try." Jacob sat up straight and placed his hands on his lap, waiting.

"Have the Cullens done something illegal?"

To my surprise, Jacob laughed. "No."

"What's so funny?" I asked.

He shook his head, trying to compose his face. "I guess I just wasn't expecting that to be a question. I'm sorry, go on."

I placed a finger over my lips as I pondered. Now I was feeling self-conscious about the questions I came up with. "Have they done something to hurt you or Billy?"

Jacob's face grew pained. "Not exactly."

I stared at him for a while, waiting for a better explanation. "So is that a yes _and_ a no?"

"No, they haven't done anything directly."

Frustrated, I placed my head in my hands. I couldn't even think of any other questions to ask. If it wasn't anything illegal and they hadn't done anything to directly hurt Jacob or Billy, then what could it possibly be?

"Okay, this isn't working." Jacob got up and began to pace. He had one hand on his forehead as he got lost in thought.

"Jacob, this is ridiculous-,"

"Wait." He held his hand up, cutting me off. He was eyeing my copy of Wuthering Heights. "You said you like to read?"

Taken aback, I cocked my head to the side in confusion. What would reading have to do with this? "Yes," I answered hesitantly.

"You know, Forks and the Quileute reservation have a very interesting history."

"So . . . you want me to buy a history book or something?"

Jacob opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He sighed and resumed his pacing. "Read about it," was all he replied with.

"Can you tell me which book I'm supposed to buy? I'd have no idea where to start, Jacob. That's not much to go on."

The same thing happened again. He opened his mouth to speak, but it was almost as if he were being strangled. He groaned. "I can't tell you."

"Well . . . can you tell me a bookstore?"

Jacob simply shook his head. "I can't."

I groaned. "Jacob, seriously?" My tone was harsher than I had intended it to be.

"I know, Bella, I know," he said. "I told you, you have no idea how tight I'm bound."

"This is insane. Do you have a curse on you or something?" I mumbled sarcastically.

Jacob immediately jumped backward, staring at me in complete shock. His face grew a shade or two lighter as he paled. "What did you just say?"

"I was kidding, Jacob," I whispered. "I didn't mean to offend you. I'm sorry."

"I'm not offended," he said quickly. He stared at me, waiting.

I snorted and rolled my eyes as I realized what he was implying. "You're joking. There's no such thing as curses."

His expression didn't falter. "I think you'd have much better luck figuring this out if you stay open-minded. And I mean _very_ open-minded."

"Are you trying to tell me the Cullens cursed you?" I said, laughing bitterly. Now I was done playing along. For some reason, I found myself growing angry. I struggled to control my recently unpredictable temper. "This was a waste of my time. I hope you realize how crazy this all sounds."

"I know," Jacob said. "When I was in your shoes, I felt the same way."

We remained silent and still for a few minutes, just staring at one another. I wasn't sure what to do or what to make of the whole situation. I felt nervous, wondering about Jacob's mental stability. After all, I hardly knew him.

I had never come across someone who believed in this sort of thing. Maybe it was just a superstition that the reservation had filled his head with. I guess that wouldn't be something I could fault him for if he had been raised this way.

That could explain why the Cullens were angry with the Blacks if they were going around basing certain things on silly legends. I couldn't imagine why the feud would have ended up so severe, especially since no one else in town knew anything.

At first, I thought he could just be messing with me. But Jacob's face was so serious and pleading. He was either a very good actor or genuinely terrified. Attempting to humor him for just one more minute, I finally asked, "So I just need to find a book that has history on the Quileute tribe?"

He nodded once, keeping his mouth closed.

I sighed. "I've been meaning to do some shopping in Port Angeles since everything I own was suitable for the weather in Phoenix. I don't know why I'm even bothering, but I guess I'll check out some bookstores while I'm there."

Jacob let out a breath that he must have been holding. "You don't have to do anything. You know that. I'd be perfectly happy if you just agreed to stay away from the Cullens. But I know that's not enough. Please remember to keep an open mind. It would be so much easier if you knew."

Before I could contribute any more to the conversation, Jacob had turned and walked away, shutting the front door behind him as he left. I stood there for a very long time, completely clueless as to what to do next.

I sat down at the kitchen table and placed my head down on top of my forearms, covering my face. This was all so ridiculous. Surely their feud couldn't be based on some mythical superstition.

I remembered the stance that Jacob and Edward were both in during their brief altercation in my driveway. Animalistic was how it had appeared. Jacob was bent forward while Edward was slightly crouched. Their faces were full of something far worse than anger. One could have even considered their expressions murderous.

Allyn entered my mind. Having spent a lot of time in bars, he got into a lot of arguments and fights. I had to witness quite a few of them when I would come to pick him up to make sure he got home safely. I had never seen another person take positions quite like that if there was any degree of hostility.

Their behavior towards each other was definitely not what anyone would expect. Something about the way their bodies had immediately tensed into those positions . . . it almost wasn't even human.

I finally sat up and sighed. I grabbed a pen and scribbled a note for Charlie in case he got back before I did. I felt incredibly silly as I slipped my coat on and headed out to my truck. I couldn't believe I was actually about to do this.

If it hadn't been for Jacob's pained and desperate expression, I probably would have kicked him out of the house without a second thought. I would have deemed him as an unstable person and that would have been the end of it. I would know for sure once I had done my research.

And something in my gut was telling me that the bookstore would have more answers than I was expecting.


	15. Trust

**A/N: Thanks for the positive feedback! Read and review!**

Normally, I would never make an impromptu trip like this. But the idea of sitting at home for yet another day didn't seem all that satisfying for once. I also hadn't been lying when I told Jacob I needed to go shopping for less permeable clothing. It was the perfect excuse to get out of the house for a while.

I had spent almost an entire week at home before finding out about Allyn's recent escapade in Jacksonville. My mood had yet again flipped. Instead of choosing to mope around, now all I wanted to do was stay busy. Maybe I should add bipolar disorder to my steadily growing list of mental issues.

Although I'd never admit it to anyone, my seeing Edward had put me in unusually good spirits. My short and confusing conversation with Jacob had added intense curiosity on top of that. Simply sitting around, doing nothing, for another day wasn't an option.

The trees were blurring together along the side of the road as I drove. This time, I had chosen to drive not a single mile over the speed limit. It surprisingly wasn't raining, but the gray and ominous clouds looked like they could let loose any minute. While I wasn't necessarily thrilled at the thought of wandering around Port Angeles in a downpour, I really couldn't think of anything else to do to spend my time.

Up until recently, every single minute of my free time had been occupied with thinking about Allyn, wondering where he could be and if he was on my trail. But now, it was as if my mind had set up some sort of mental shield, protecting itself from the emotional turmoil I had tortured myself with for so long.

Of course, I still thought about it frequently, but not ever for too long before I grew distracted by piecing together what had happened between Jacob's family and the Cullens. I guess, in a way, that was healthier to think about since it didn't include Allyn.

Despite Jacob's warning, I couldn't imagine the Cullens ever purposely hurting anyone now that I had interacted with some of them. Dr. Cullen was a very respected doctor while his wife was a therapist. They both helped people for a living. How could they possibly be harmful? And then there was Edward . . . and that's where I usually had a hard time.

While he had saved me that day at the bookstore and had made sure I got home safely after last night's accident, I couldn't forget our first meeting. Frankly, I was too chicken to ever bring it up again.

I tried my best not to think about it too often. While my imagination had been running wild as of late, the memory of those nearly demonic black eyes, the bronze hair, the vicious expression, and the guttural snarl while I teetered on the edge of consciousness in a hospital bed were all too vivid to be anything other than real.

Even though it had been weeks since that had happened, every detail of those moments were clear as day. I knew it was Edward. It couldn't have been anyone else. And that was the only reason I had ever slightly considered heeding Jacob's warning to stay away from the Cullens.

But Edward consistently proved me wrong. He wasn't the terrible person I had perceived him to be in the beginning. So far, I couldn't picture any of the Cullens that I had come into contact with being dangerous in the least. On the other hand, Allyn was living proof that you never really know anyone, no matter how close they are to you. That's why I continued on to Port Angeles. I needed answers.

While it was nothing compared to Phoenix, Port Angeles was a very crowded part of town. Parking lots were scarce, and every time I came across one, it was completely full. My only choice seemed to be to parallel park and walk around.

The true challenge was finding a spot big enough on the street to fit my truck. It took me at least ten minutes to find a suitable place to leave the Chevy, and much to my dismay, it had started to rain.

I had caught a glimpse of a bookstore with a dimly lit sign that read "Thunderbird and Whale" about three blocks away from where I had chosen to park. I had decided that if the weather was too bad, I would skip the clothes shopping and just go home. That way I wouldn't be completely empty-handed if I managed to find some research material on the Quileutes.

The rain wasn't coming down as heavy as I would have expected, and for that I was thankful, but I'd be soaked if I didn't walk faster than usual on my way to the bookstore.

I drew my face as far into my hood as I could to stay warm, prohibiting me from seeing hardly anything other than what was directly in front of me as I awkwardly half-jogged down the sidewalk. I concentrated on taking deep breaths, hoping my anxiety wouldn't get the best of me before I made it to my destination.

I hadn't made it a full two blocks before I had slowed my pace. While I felt fine for the most part, I certainly wasn't 100% physically. The cold had finally gotten to me and my entire body ached. My chest tightened after exerting myself much more than I probably should have. After all, I had been more than sedentary for a month. I clutched my ribs as if I were keeping them from falling apart. Parking this far was a terrible idea.

Suddenly, the hood of my jacket was ripped away from my face, causing me to stumble backward. Shocked, I whipped around, coming face to face with a dark-haired man that was probably in his mid-twenties. The smell of liquor burned my nose as he leaned in.

"You lost?" the stranger slurred.

"N-No," I stammered.

"She seems pretty lost to me," someone else said from behind me. I turned the slightest bit, wanting to keep the first man who had spoken to me in my line of sight. Two more men had come out of an alley. One of them was blonde and holding a brown bag, no doubt concealing a bottle of alcohol. The other was stout, bald and covered in tattoos.

"Hey, wait a minute, I know you," the bald one boomed. "I've seen you before."

"I think you've got the wrong person," I said, trying my hardest to sound confident. I knew it wasn't convincing, but I didn't have much of a choice.

In reality, my heart was pounding at what had to be a dangerous rate. Every muscle in my body seemed to be twitching and I had lost feeling in my face. I clenched my jaw to keep my teeth from chattering as I attempted to push past them.

The blonde one reached forward and shoved me. I held back a wince as my ribs protested. "I'm pretty sure we've got the right person. Don't we, Frank?" he said.

"Oh, yeah, that's her alright," the dark-haired man responded, cracking a smile that made me immediately nauseous. "You're comin' with us."

As an act of pure desperation, I bolted straight into the man they had called Frank. He had been swaying quite a bit, no doubt due to drinking too much. I hoped that catching him off-guard would be enough to knock him out of the way.

To my extreme surprise, it had worked. Frank buckled backward, giving me plenty of space to run. I hadn't made it far at all before I felt a hand grab a fistful of my hair, jerking me back onto the ground and knocking the breath out of me.

I opened my mouth to scream, but the bald one clamped his hand over my mouth and nose. I kicked and thrashed, scratching at his fingers as he simply smiled down at me. "Aw, no need to fight. We'll be real good to you," he said as Frank and the blonde-haired man laughed, circling in on me.

"Yeah, you shouldn't be scared of _us_ ," Frank sneered. I tried to keep from hyperventilating as the fear bubbled up inside of me. The way he had said it implied that there was something worse coming my way. Or someone.

The slamming of a car door caused all three of them to immediately look up. I attempted to scream again, but the bald man pressed his hand down harder over my face to the point I couldn't breathe at all. My heart pounded in my head. I tried to force myself to relax in fear that I would lose consciousness if I continued to try and fight him off.

"Who the hell are you?" the blonde one snapped. It took me a moment to realize that he was speaking to someone else nearby. The edges of my vision darkened as I tried to suck in a few breaths.

A blood-curdling scream echoed through the air as the bald man's hand was yanked away from my face. I scrambled away as I gasped and coughed, scraping the palms of my hands on the concrete sidewalk.

I heard a sickening crack and a thump to my left. The bald man was on his knees and screaming, clutching his now bloodied and distorted hand that had previously been suffocating me. Frank and the blonde one bolted past me in horror, disappearing down an alley. I backed myself up against a parking meter, leaning onto the pole as I continued to gasp for air.

The bald man had finally gotten himself up onto his feet and proceeded to run away. While fleeing was certainly on my list of things to do, I was more focused on getting a handle on my breathing enough to simply stand up. The aches in my chest from earlier were absolutely nothing compared to now.

My vision was still blurry when I was lifted completely off the ground by an alarmingly cold pair of hands. I immediately relaxed when I discovered the identity of the person who had saved me.

At a much faster speed than what anyone would deem normal, Edward Cullen had me buckled into the passenger seat of his Volvo and then was almost immediately behind the wheel, speeding off down the street.

My head was swimming as I finally caught my breath. My first instinct was to put my head between my knees. But with the manner in which Edward was driving, I feared that would only make me feel worse.

I settled for resting my forehead in my hands, continuing to concentrate on inhaling and exhaling. My torso felt as if it were about to crumble into pieces. I hadn't realized that I was trembling.

Edward adjusted the heat settings with a quick and fluid moment. If I hadn't felt a burst of warm air immediately afterward, I would have second guessed whether or not he had actually moved. Unsure of what to say, I tried to discreetly steal a glance at him.

He was gripping the steering wheel so hard that the tendons of his knuckles were protruding beneath his ivory skin. I wouldn't have been surprised if it broke in half under his vice grip. He stared straight ahead, not blinking at all. From what I could tell from his facial expression, he was absolutely furious.

I forced myself to tear my eyes away from him and focus on the road. He had to have been going at least 90 miles per hour, swerving in and out of increasing traffic. He took a sharp turn to the right, leading us out of the city. Something told me that now was not the time to mention my truck was still parked by the bookstore.

A few miles down, he took a left down a dirt road. As I was about to ask where he was taking me, Edward slowed to a stop on the shoulder. He squeezed his eyes shut and rested his head back on his seat. "Say something," he whispered. "Say something so I don't go back for them."

"I'm sorry," I blurted out without thinking.

Edward's eyes snapped open as he turned to stare at me in shock and anger. "For what?"

Truthfully, I didn't really know. I had grown so accustomed to immediately apologizing in uncomfortable situations. It was the first thing that usually came to mind. "I guess for having to save me . . . again."

"You were just attacked and you're apologizing to _me_?" he barked. "You don't make any sense, Bella."

"I know," I mumbled, dropping my gaze to my lap.

After a few minutes of silence, Edward sighed. "Are you feeling alright? How badly did they hurt you?"

"I'm fine," I said weakly. It wasn't at all convincing, but it was the best I could do given the circumstances. Edward turned back to face me, judging whether or not my response was acceptable. I was extremely sore, but I didn't dare want to tell him that.

"Your hands," he said.

I looked down at my palms. They were dirty and very lightly bleeding from scraping them on the sidewalk. My stomach did a flip at the sight of the blood. I faced Edward, preparing to dismiss his concern, but his expression caught me off guard.

He was staring at the minuscule cuts, still obviously livid. I could swear that the color of his eyes had immediately darkened while I watched him. He was so still that it didn't even look like he was breathing.

I shoved my hands into my coat pockets. "They're not that bad."

Edward seemed to come to life again, tearing his eyes away from my hands. "You're really pale," he observed.

"I'm always pale." I guess since I had lived in Phoenix for the majority of my life, everyone would have assumed I was tan. But I was cursed with skin that looked like it had never been exposed to the sun. "How did you find me?"

"I heard _them_ ," Edward sneered.

I thought through what had happened. While the men hadn't been discreet by any means, I knew they couldn't have been loud enough to catch someone's attention if they weren't immediately nearby. Not to mention Edward had pulled up in his Volvo. He hadn't been walking around to simply come across me in trouble.

"I didn't see you anywhere." I hoped that my simple statement wouldn't come across as argumentative.

"I was close." Edward was still facing forward, gripping the steering wheel as if his life depended on it. He threw the car back in drive, fishtailing slightly as he turned back to go the opposite direction. The overall energy was too tense for me to feel comfortable asking where we were going now.

I was fine with not knowing. All of the stress that I had been struggling with always seemed to dissipate when Edward was around. I couldn't explain it and that was perfectly alright with me.

He pulled into the gravel parking lot of a small diner. There were only two other cars parked by the front entrance. From the looks of the empty tables through the windows, I assumed they belonged to the staff.

"What are you doing?" I asked as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

"I'll feel better once you eat something." Before I could protest, he was out of the car, opening the passenger side door for me.

"But I'm not hungry," I argued. He shifted his weight to one leg and crossed his arms over his chest. He appeared lanky at a first glance, but it continued to surprise me how muscular he was. He let out an exasperated sigh and cocked an eyebrow, a gesture that read I shouldn't test him right now.

I complied and fumbled with my seatbelt. He consistently made me nervous. Not in a way that I feared he would hurt me, but my feelings of inferiority to him were impossible to ignore.

We walked to the front entrance together, neither one of us speaking. Edward glanced over his shoulder as if to make sure we weren't being followed.

An older woman with silver hair tied up in a messy bun greeted us at the front. "For here or to go?" she asked.

"Here, please," Edward said in his irresistible voice. The woman blinked a few times, most definitely stunned by his attractive features. She hesitated before grabbing two menus and led us to a booth in the back.

He took the side that faced the door while I sat opposite him. "What can I get you?" the elderly woman asked, speaking only to Edward.

"Nothing for me." He gestured in my direction.

My temperature had dropped significantly now that I wasn't in the warm car. I was absolutely freezing. "Um . . . I'll have a coffee, please."

The woman nodded and disappeared behind the counter. I pulled my jacket sleeves over my fingers to warm them up until I could wrap them around the coffee mug.

"Bella?" Edward asked.

I had been avoiding his gaze up until now. I was still so shocked by how beautiful he was, especially up close. Every time I looked directly at him for any length of time, my heart seemed to skip a beat. Considering that he and I were pretty much alone and directly face-to-face, I could barely keep a handle on myself.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Why did you come to Forks?"

Taken aback by his question, I found myself unable to respond. Why would he feel the need to ask me something like that? I hoped that he was just trying to get to know me, the girl who seemed to complicate his life further just by existing, but I couldn't help thinking that he was asking for completely different reason.

Saving me from having to immediately answer, the elderly woman reappeared and set a large, white coffee mug in front of me. She pulled out a pen and pad. "Are you ready to order?" Again, she was speaking only to him. I found it infuriating.

I hadn't even looked at the menu. I glanced at the laminated paper on the table and chose the first thing I saw. "French fries," I said. I wasn't hungry at all. The thought of eating anything more than that was simply nauseating. The waitress walked away again.

To my surprise, Edward was glaring at me. "I was hoping for you to eat something more substantial," he said, his tone low.

"Like I said, I'm not hungry." In fact, I was starting to feel sick. I took a sip of the coffee, hoping that would settle my churning stomach. It was the perfect temperature. As soon as it went down my throat, I started to feel better and much less like a human icicle. "It's not like I'm going into shock or anything."

He sighed. "You're really stubborn."

I shrugged. "So I've heard."

There was a flicker of a smile on his face after my response, but his eyes remained hard. "Are you going to answer the question?" he prompted.

"That's actually a very complicated question," I challenged. "And I hardly know you."

Edward cracked a half-smile. "I suppose that's true. Although I can't see how that's a complicated question."

I laughed once without humor, taking a heftier swig of my coffee. "You have no idea. The simple answer would be I just needed a fresh start."

"Interesting," he mused, placing a long, pale finger on his chin. "That's not even close to a legitimate answer."

I stared back at him, his eyes catching my attention again. My mind had definitely not been playing tricks on me when I thought they had darkened in color while he caught sight of my palms. Instead of golden butterscotch, his irises were practically pitch black, very similar to the way I had seen them when I was in the hospital. Of course, they weren't demonic this time, but it was still close.

"You're eyes are dark today," I blurted out.

"Excuse me?" he asked, stunned.

"You're eyes are dark today," I repeated.

He frowned. "I heard you the first time."

I leaned back, crossing my arms over my chest, waiting for an explanation. I could tell he was still extremely shocked by my observation. "Well?"

"You can't answer my questions, but expect me to answer yours?" His responding smile was almost mocking. "I don't think that's how this works."

"How does it work then?"

Edward raised one eyebrow. "I haven't the faintest idea."

The waitress returned, placing a basket of fries in front of me. It was much bigger than I would have expected. I knew I wouldn't be able to eat even half of them. She turned her back to me, facing Edward. "You sure you're not hungry, sweetie?" she asked him in a raspy voice. I fought the urge to dump the fries on her head.

"I'm fine, thank you," he responded, not taking his eyes off me. She disappeared behind the counter again. I hoped she wouldn't be back.

Edward placed his hands on the table and leaned forward as I took a bite of one of the French fries. "If you can't tell me why you moved, perhaps you can tell me why you chose Forks?"

Annoyed, I swallowed and placed the half-eaten fry back down in the basket. "Why? Is my living here inconvenient for you?" I snapped.

"No," he said, curtly. "I'm just trying to figure you out. You're very difficult to read."

"Am I?" That was unusual to hear. Up until now, I had always been described as an open book.

"Extremely."

I picked up another fry and proceeded to eat. Turns out, I was hungry. I guess the recent events had muted my appetite and my stomach was finally settled. "Are you going to tell me how you found me?"

"I told you. I heard them." He frowned as if he were remembering.

"That's not possible. You weren't anywhere near me. I would have seen you. And there's no way you would have heard anything from inside of your car."

He pursed his lips. "You are much more observant than I've given you credit for."

I cocked an eyebrow. "How did you know where I was?" I asked, enunciating each word.

"How about we just skip the questions and agree that you shouldn't go out by yourself for the time being?" he suggested.

He wasn't wrong, but I found myself offended. I wondered if we would have ever come into contact with one another if I had been completely normal and not suffering from a damsel-in-distress streak.

"I guess you're right," I sighed.

"Good," he said. "After all, you appear to be quite the danger magnet."

"So what does that make you?"

Edward's eyes widened. "What?"

"You said I'm a danger magnet. Yet, you just happen to be passing by every time I get myself into trouble. So I guess that means you're either some sort of superhero or you're dangerous, too," I mused.

"I'm no superhero." Edward's voice was sad, which surprised me.

"Well, even though you broke that man's hand back there, I can't envision you being dangerous."

He laughed darkly. "He's lucky that's all I broke. I'm still contemplating going back for them."

I could tell he was serious, but for some reason, I wasn't even scared or alarmed by his anger. "They aren't worth it."

"Did you know them?" he asked.

"Of course not," I nearly yelled. I leaned away from the table in surprise. "I've never seen any of them in my life. Why?"

"Because they definitely knew you."

I cocked an eyebrow. "And how could you possibly know that?"

"I just do. That's why I would really prefer that you don't go out by yourself for the time being."

I gulped, remembering the three men talking about "finding the right person". I had thought it was just a ploy to scare me somehow. But now, maybe that wasn't the case at all. I couldn't begin to think of how they would have known me.

"Okay, so you came to my rescue and now am telling me you're worried about me going anywhere by myself. But you're supposedly dangerous?"

He dropped his gaze to his hands. "I can be." His voice was almost a whisper. Edward's expression was sad, tortured even. I wondered what he could be thinking about.

"On the contrary, I feel very safe with you." My honesty surprised even me and I immediately felt uncomfortable for it as soon as the words left my mouth.

He glanced up at me from underneath his eyelashes. "You shouldn't. In fact, you should probably stay away from me."

"You're not the first person to tell me that," I noted, popping another fry into my mouth.

"I'm assuming Jacob Black has also told you to steer clear." He already knew the answer to that. My silence confirmed his suspicion. "He's right, Bella. But, you should steer clear of him, too."

"I can't help but find it amusing that I'm being told to stay away from certain people without any explanation. That's the reason I even came to Port Angeles today. I'm tired of secrets."

Edward snorted and rolled his eyes. "You seem to have plenty of secrets of your own. I'd say that's a pretty hypocritical statement."

"That's different," I snapped back. "I'm not telling anyone what to do without a reason. My secrets aren't affecting anyone." Except maybe my family, but he didn't need to know that.

"Maybe so," he said. "What did you even expect to find in Port Angeles?"

"Research." The vagueness of my responses seemed to irritate him. I found myself extremely amused by it.

"On?" he breathed. He had used the same irresistible tone on me that he had used on our waitress.

My mind grew fuzzy. "Um . . . Quileute legends."

Edward laughed. I was still under the influence of his inconvenient ability to get information out of me that I couldn't necessarily be confused by his response. "You won't find the answers you're looking for here. I can promise you that."

"Enlighten me then."

"Absolutely not," he barked. His black eyes flashed in fury. "Jacob and I are both dangerous. That's all you need to know."

The scolding tone he used had definitely stung. I took another sip of my coffee as I tried to recover. "Why? Are you cursed into keeping it a secret, too?" I kept my tone sarcastic as I attempted to match his mood.

He cocked his head to the side, confused. "No," he said, this time in a normal conversational voice. "I just don't see how telling you anything will benefit you. You are better off knowing nothing and staying away from us."

"What if I figure this out by myself? Would you tell me if I was right?"

"Probably not. I really wish you would just let this go," he urged, his eyes pleading.

"I'm stubborn, remember? I don't let things go easily."

"Obviously," he hissed, turning away. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

"You can trust me, Edward."

He sighed and placed his hands back on the table. The tortured expression had returned. I wanted more than anything to reach out and touch his face. The sight of him upset really bothered me, much more than it should.

"I know," he finally said. "It's me I don't trust."


	16. Safe

**A/N: Wow, I've hit almost 100 favorites for this story! That makes me so happy and so do the wonderful reviews. Thank you! I hope you all enjoy this chapter even though it's short. Time for things to start speeding up! :)**

"I'm not sure I understand," I said. I had stopped eating, my basket of fries half full, as my appetite dissipated again. The look on Edward's face sent a strange pang through my heart. I hardly knew him, why was his sadness affecting me so much?

"Let's just say I'm conflicted." He leaned in closer to me. His eyes, even though they were pitch black, were still warm. They had an urgency to them that I couldn't quite comprehend. "I'm not lying when I say I'm dangerous. Half of me feels that you are much better off staying away from me. The other half feels very . . . protective of you."

My throat thickened. "I don't think I need to point out that I probably wouldn't be around to have this conversation if you hadn't saved me. And on more than one occasion."

Edward frowned. "I'm well aware." The way he said it implied there was much more meaning behind that simple statement. "In that case, I'll let you decide."

"I already told you. I feel very safe when you're around." My heart rate increased and my anxiety skyrocketed. I was hardly ever this honest about how I was feeling and it was very unfamiliar to me.

"You shouldn't."

I pushed the basket of fries away and placed my arms on the table, leaning towards him. "Well, I do."

"I guess that's it then," Edward said. "I just hope neither one of us come to regret this."

"Agreed." I wasn't at all sure what that meant. But as long as he was going to stick around, I couldn't care less.

He pointed towards the remainder of my food. "Eat."

I glared back at him. "I'm full." As pathetic as it was to admit, I had gotten so used to practically starving myself from wallowing in fear and anxiety that food was nearly foreign to my body. It was rare that I ever felt hungry, and when I did eat, I could only handle small amounts at a time.

"You barely ate," he argued, exasperated.

"I don't eat much. I'm fine."

Edward rolled his eyes, preparing to protest until the waitress walked up with the check in her hand. She placed the black leather folder on the table and, thankfully, left without another word. I didn't know if I could muster up the energy to keep myself from acting on my jealousy again.

I dug into my coat pockets for my wallet and pulled out the appropriate amount of cash. As I was about to slip it inside of the folder, Edward caught my hand. As he was usually helping me up or carrying me somewhere after a daring rescue, this was the first time my skin had come into direct contact with his. The iciness of his fingers was incredibly alarming, causing goosebumps to immediately form all the way up my right arm.

He jerked his hand away, nearly seconds after he had touched me. My skin stung from the shock of his freezing cold fingers. "And just what do you think you're doing?" he snapped, his black eyes flashing in anger.

"Um . . . paying for my food?" I stammered, holding the cash in an awkward mid-air position.

He snatched the folder away from me and placed a crisp twenty dollar bill behind the plastic flap. "You really thought I'd let you pay for yourself?" he mumbled, shaking his head as if it were a completely ridiculous notion.

"Yes," I argued, finding my confidence. "I really hate it when people pay for me."

Edward stared back at me in awe, like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Why?"

Now would be the time that I would need to come up with a lie. Any time Allyn ever picked up the tab, he held it over my head later or would imply that I owed him something for it. Over time, I realized that nothing was ever free. Everything always came with a price.

"I just don't," I whispered, unable to come up with a response he would believe. I feared I would only just offend him if I fed him some silly excuse.

"This was my idea, remember? What kind of person would I be if I suggested that you eat and then make you pay for it?" he said softly.

"If you say so." I slipped my cash back into my pocket. Instead of returning it to my wallet, I kept it readily available so I could leave it in his car for him to find later. It would save me an argument and the bad feeling I always got when I accepted help from someone.

I flashed what I hoped was a convincing appreciative smile as we both stood up to leave, but I could tell he wasn't buying it. Once we were both in the car, he hesitated before turning keys in the ignition. "What are you thinking?" he asked.

I snorted. "Why do you want to know?"

"I've told you. You're very difficult to read," he said matter-of-factly although there was a hint of frustration in his tone.

"Sounds like you're used to getting what you want."

Edward grinned. "Usually."

I couldn't help but laugh. "I hate to disappoint you, but I will definitely never tell you what I'm thinking." Frankly, I didn't even want to admit to myself what I was thinking. I tried to force my mind to go blank, just in case my expression gave me away.

"We'll see about that," he said, a hint of a smile still present on his face. He turned the keys, cranked up the heat, and proceeded to bring me back to Port Angeles.

He didn't drive nearly as fast as he had the first time now that he was no longer enraged. A part of me felt nervous to be returning to the scene where I had been attacked a little over an hour ago, but knowing that Edward would be right by me certainly helped.

We didn't speak on the way back, but the silence wasn't at all bothersome. I couldn't help but watch him through my peripherals. He seemed fairly content for the most part, but there were some points where his jaw would clench and his hands would grip the steering wheel harder. I probably wanted to know what was going through his head more than he wanted to know what was going through mine.

When we pulled up to my truck, the surrounding blocks were still deserted. When he put the car in park and got out, I slipped the cash I had been holding into the fold between the seat and the backrest. It would be noticeable enough for him to find, but still give me plenty of time to leave first.

He opened the passenger side door and walked me to my truck, glancing over his shoulder as I got in. "If you don't mind, I'll follow you until you're out of the city to make sure you're safe."

My stomach flipped. I hoped he wouldn't find the money I had left before we were out of Port Angeles. "I don't mind."

"Good." He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his coal-colored eyes. "See you soon, Bella."

"Okay," I breathed. I fought back the pathetic grin that was threatening to break across my face at the promise that I would see him again.

As I drove away, I felt the slightest bit guilty that I didn't make a point to research the Quileutes further like I had told Jacob that I would. I could promise that I wouldn't be back to Port Angeles by myself anytime soon. I just hoped that Jacob would understand.

Of course, I wouldn't be able to give him the full explanation. Mentioning Edward would more than likely complicate things further and that was the last thing I wanted to do. I knew that I would certainly not be heeding Jacob's warning to stay away from the Cullens, especially Edward. I knew that it would be impossible at this point.

My curiosity still rang true. Now that I was getting to know both Jacob and Edward, I couldn't imagine either of them being bad people, let alone imagine what had happened to cause them to feud with each other so furiously. Jacob's seemingly unpredictable temper and Edward's confusing admission that he was dangerous were definitely clues. Maybe, over time, I would be able to figure it out on my own.

I glanced up at my rearview mirror, peering at Edward trailing behind me. I wondered if my going under 80 miles per hour was bothering him since he clearly preferred to drive fast. I couldn't tell through my faded back window what his facial expression was.

Once I had hit the highway, Edward had disappeared. After realizing that he was no longer around, the loneliness hit me. I turned on the radio, hoping that would help to ease my growing discomfort.

The rest of the way home, I found myself looking more at my surroundings than the road itself. I couldn't help but feel that someone was watching me. But I had also grown paranoid over the past few weeks. I tried to convince myself that I was being ridiculous.

My driveway brought me solace as I pulled up to the house. Charlie's cruiser was still gone, so I had beat him home. Honestly, I preferred it that way. I knew he wanted to have a talk with me after I ran out on him the way I did last night. I couldn't see him being too happy about me leaving on a whim to take a little road trip to Port Angeles by myself.

I walked up the porch steps and noticed there was a small, folded piece of paper stuck in the screen door. I tugged lightly at the paper, opening the door so it wouldn't tear. I could see cash sticking out of the sides. Once I had pulled them out, I realized they were the exact same bills I had attempted to use to pay for myself at the diner. Behind the money was a note in a very elegant script.

 _Nice try. Be safe._


	17. Worry

**A/N: Thanks again for the positive feedback guys! Here's another chapter :) I know some of you have mentioned that a chapter in Edward's POV would be a good read, but I've actually been planning on doing this story completely over again through his eyes. Once I'm done with this one, I'll be posting it! Enjoy and review!**

My heart was racing in a way that made me incredibly nervous as I stared down at Edward's note. All I could think was that I shouldn't feel like this. I hardly knew him . . . it was too soon. And I was more than inferior to his perfection.

I stepped into the warm house and locked the door. I felt anxious and uneasy, but wonderful at the same time. I didn't even know what to do with myself.

After slipping my money back into my ruddy wallet and placing the note from Edward on my desk in my room, I curled up on the bed with Wuthering Heights. I was able to read a few pages successfully before I hit the same issues as before. I wasn't comprehending anymore of the text after a while. There's only so many times I can force myself to reread the pages before I grew bored.

I threw the book on my end table and sighed. Edward had said that he and Jacob were both dangerous. Deep down, I believed it. But I knew that neither one of them would ever hurt me. In fact, both of them seemed to genuinely care about my wellbeing. Why would Edward rescue me so many times if he was so villainous and evil?

Having been so rudely interrupted in my attempt to do my research on the Quileutes, I was officially empty-handed. I didn't want to disappoint Jacob or frustrate him further. At first, his temper had been quite the red flag.

After he had explained to me that he wanted to tell me but was physically unable, I was finally able to relate to him a little better. While he may claim there were some mythical forces involved, I wasn't entirely convinced. No one could have that open of a mind. But something about both Edward and Jacob was definitely . . . abnormal, for lack of a better word.

Edward, along with the rest of his family, seemed to have unnaturally perfect features. Dr. Cullen, Esme, and Edward all had extremely freezing cold skin as well as those strange butterscotch colored eyes. No doubt, that shade was rare, yet none of them were actually related. Genetics couldn't be blamed for their appearances.

Of course, I didn't know Dr. Cullen and Esme enough to pinpoint anything else that would seem off with the exception of the way they looked. But Edward was an entirely different story. He seemed to know things that he shouldn't. How could he have possibly figured out that those men were attacking me in Port Angeles?

Any normal human being wouldn't have been able to "hear" anything from inside of a running car. I recalled the squealing of tires and the door slamming before I was rescued. He wasn't anywhere near me at the time of the incident.

And then there was Jacob. While his appearance seemed fairly usual for a 17-year-old boy, he was undoubtedly different. His dark eyes always held some sort of deep secret. Even when he was smiling and happy, I could tell there was something that was torturing him inside. The way his skin was always feverish and the way he would tremble when he was upset . . . it wasn't a typical anger problem. I couldn't help but feel like he carried around a constant feeling of hatred.

In a way, Edward and Jacob were polar opposites. The only thing they did have in common was their strange and animalistic nature.

"None of this makes any sense," I muttered to myself. I needed to stop being ridiculous.

I wanted more than anything to leave again, to get out of the house. But Edward's warning to not go anywhere by myself rang true for the time being. I could tell he knew something that I didn't. And after my most recent experience wandering around alone, I wasn't going to dare defy him.

"You shouldn't be scared of _us_ ," the man named Frank had said. I shuddered at the memory and forced myself to stop right there. I knew what that meant. And somehow, I think Edward did too.

I _could_ run away. I hadn't completely taken that option off of the table. Even though being constantly on the run from someone who more than likely wanted to kill me wasn't an ideal way to live my life, but neither was living in fear.

Besides, as unusual as it was to admit to myself, I didn't want to leave Forks. I knew that Allyn would find me one day, but I was beginning to believe that I was safer here than anywhere else in the world.

I filled my time with tidying up the house and getting dinner together for Charlie. I hadn't gone grocery shopping in a couple of days and choices were limited. I settled for steak and potatoes. I didn't think Charlie would mind much.

Just as I was finishing up the potatoes, Charlie came through the front door. "Bella?" he called out. There was a tone of panic in his voice.

"In here, Dad," I responded. I turned to face him as he stood in the doorway to the kitchen. His face was incredibly pale and his eyes were wide as if he had just seen something traumatic. "What's wrong?"

Charlie shook his head slightly as if he were knocking his expression back into place. The lines on his forehead smoothed, but I could still see the worry in his eyes. "Nothing. Just a busy day." He was staring at me as if he were waiting for some sort of explanation.

"Okay . . ." I said, making sure he caught on with my obvious skepticism. He ignored it. "Dinner's ready if you're hungry."

"Thanks," he grumbled. He hung up his belt and rain jacket before taking a seat at the kitchen table. I placed our plates down and took the chair directly across from him.

We ate in silence. Charlie picked at his food, mainly just pushing it around with his fork instead of eating it, which was very unlike him. His paleness had dissipated after a little while, but he still was clearly upset.

"Do you not like it?" I finally asked, breaking the silence.

"It's great, Bells," he answered without looking at me.

I popped the last bit of my potatoes in my mouth and chewed slowly, watching him. Something was definitely wrong.

"Do you have anything you carry with you to defend yourself?" Charlie blurted out.

I stared back at him, stunned. I hadn't told him about my unfortunate experience in Port Angeles and, surely, no one could have possibly informed him of it. "Um . . . no? Why?"

"I'll get you some mace - the same stuff we use at the station. And I have a gun in the safe upstairs. The code is-"

"Dad," I interrupted. "I don't even know how to use a gun."

"I'll take you to the shooting range. I don't like you spending so much time alone without any protection."

"What is going on?" My voice was much sharper than I intended it to be.

It seemed to snap him out of his anxious rant. "Nothing," he sighed, setting his fork down. "We seem to have developed quite a bear problem. We've had a lot of disappearances in the past year, mostly hikers. Surrounding counties are even getting involved."

He was lying. Like me, he wasn't skilled at it. I didn't doubt that there was a bear problem. I had seen enough of the news to know that part was true. But it definitely wasn't the reason for his frantic behavior. "And mace spray is going to protect me from a bear . . .?"

"Well, no. But I'd still like you to have some, just in case."

I decided not to press him any further. He obviously had no plans on telling me what he had really seen or heard. I knew what the "just in case" comment meant.

"Alright," I sighed. I stood up and gathered our plates. Charlie stayed seated, grasping his fingers until the tips of them turned purple. I tried to ignore it as I began washing everything in the sink.

"I may have found you a job today, Bells," he said quietly.

"Oh yeah? Doing what?"

"Nothing great, just a cashier position at Newton's Olympic Outfitters. They really need the help," he explained. "It's family-owned. Their son went missing a while back. All of them are pretty torn up and need some time."

"Well, I don't have a lot of experience, but I'd be happy to help them," I agreed.

Charlie let out a long sigh. "Good, I was hoping you'd say that," he breathed. "I really don't like you staying here alone all day."

"Join the club," I muttered under my breath.

"Besides, maybe it'll give you a chance to meet some new people," he continued.

I could only assume that was Charlie's way of saying that he wanted me in public where others could keep an eye on me. Allyn didn't make the smartest decisions, but he definitely wasn't stupid enough to attack me where anyone could clearly see.

A part of me wanted to tell Charlie about Edward. While I wouldn't consider the two of us "friends", he had definitely taken on the role of a protector of some sort. Somehow, I didn't think that would do Charlie any good at this point.

"So, when do I start at Newton's?" I asked.

"Tomorrow, if you're up for it."

I nodded as I doused the last plate with dish detergent. "Sounds good to me."

Charlie stood up from the table but didn't leave the room. I could feel his eyes on me. I tried to ignore it as I began to dry off the dishes and place them back into the cabinets.

I wiped my hands on a dish towel and turned to face him. His forehead was creased with worry again and his stance was awkward. I couldn't tell if he was about to burst into tears or throw himself into a fit of anger.

"You sure you don't want that gun?"

"Dad, please tell me what's wrong," I begged.

He shook his head slowly and walked towards me, arms outstretched. Even though I was alarmed, I still returned the hug. He sighed and kissed the top of my head. "It's nothing, Bella," he whispered. "I just don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you. That's all."

My heart leaped into my throat. No matter how hard I tried to suppress it, I knew. Something bad was definitely about to happen.


	18. Found

**A/N: I know my last chapter was short, so I figured I should get another update going! I'm going to be fairly busy over the next couple of weeks and have no idea when I'll be able to get another chapter posted. Enjoy and review!**

Today was my first shift at Newton's Olympic Outfitters. Charlie had called Karen Newton shortly after dinner to let her know that I was up for it. They were apparently as thrilled as they could be, given the circumstances of their missing son. To start me off, my first day was going to be a very simple four hours, mostly training, and for that I was thankful.

I had worked on and off in Phoenix at a bookstore, but it was nothing formal. Other than that, I had virtually no experience and couldn't deny that I was incredibly nervous.

Charlie and I didn't speak again for the rest of last night. He remained worked up and kept glancing over at me as if I were about to disappear or drop dead. It bothered me to see him so upset. I ended up going to bed around eight just to avoid any further panicked looks.

Once I had showered and dressed, Charlie was waiting for me downstairs. He seemed better today. He was no longer pale and anxious, but I couldn't say the same. I knew what his behavior meant. And for that reason, I found myself extremely on edge. I had suppressed the signs for as long as I was able. I felt shaky and uncomfortable in my own skin. I could only hope that it wouldn't hinder me too much during my training.

"Good luck today, Bells," Charlie said gruffly as he handed me my raincoat.

"Thanks, Dad." I kept it short and sweet before retreating out into the pouring rain.

I was having a hard time concentrating on the road. I had passed Newton's Olympic Outfitters on the way to Esme's office, so thankfully, I didn't have to worry about getting lost in my distracted frame of mind.

My brain had practically shut itself off. I couldn't keep a distinct thought in my head for longer than a minute or two and felt dazed, somehow. I guess, in a way, it was some sort of new defense mechanism my body had cooked up for itself. The last thing I needed was to fly into a crazed panic attack.

Up ahead, I could see raised lumps and a heap of shredded grass to the right of the pavement. As I grew closer and could make out the tire tracks, I recognized this as the section of the road where I had hydroplaned the night before last.

I scanned the trees looking for which one I had hit, but couldn't seem to pinpoint which one it was. Of course, about 80% of the trunks were covered in squishy, green moss so I wouldn't be able to see any obvious scarring in the wood, but I couldn't help but notice that something seemed off.

I pulled over on the side of the road, flipping on what I hoped were my hazard lights. I glanced at the clock before deciding to hop out of my truck. I had just enough time to investigate for a few minutes.

The tire tracks were much more unusual up close. They were in a straight line from where I veered off the road but seemed to make a strange and sharp cut to the left. The giant tree that was the closest to the end of the ruts didn't have a single mark on it. The surrounding trees were free of blemishes too. If I didn't know any better, I'd say I didn't hit them at all.

Crunching metal echoed through my ears as I remembered losing all control of the truck. Even though I had been imagining things lately, I _knew_ I had hit something. But it was definitely not a tree.

I stepped back a few paces to get a better view. My truck couldn't have created that 90-degree angle on its own. In fact, it looked like I should have hit that tree head-on, which meant I wouldn't be standing here right now. My bulbous Chevy was a tank, but not nearly indestructible enough to withstand a head-on collision with a tree at over 80 miles per hour.

Even though I knew it was absolutely impossible, it looked as if my truck had been pushed to the side, saving me from what would have been a deadly accident. On top of that, I had a dent in my truck as proof before Edward and his brother had somehow miraculously fixed it. A dent like that certainly would have left a mark on whatever I had run into. But other than the tire tracks, there was no evidence of any mishap.

I stood there, staring at the scene for a very long time, my mind running in circles. This didn't make any sense at all. My accident should have been way worse than it was.

A clap of thunder jolted me from my reverie. There was nothing more to see here. I knew that if I dared bring the inconsistencies up to Edward, it would make me look even worse than I'm sure I already did. He would be the only one who would know.

I jumped back into my truck and continued my drive. Maybe there was a way that I could talk to Edward about this if I remained nonchalant. At the diner, he seemed to want to know more about me in exchange for giving up some information about himself. Perhaps that was a route I could take.

Just like before, my brain seemed to prevent me from thinking about the subject further. I knew I would see Edward again one of these days. I guessed I would just have to be patient and bring it up at the right time.

The parking lot at Newton's Olympic Outfitters was completely deserted. I let out a sigh of relief. The only thing more nerve-wracking about being in training was having customers watch the entire time.

The store was much bigger inside than it looked. There were aisles up and down the entire length of the building, covered in various tools and camping supplies. Having never been the outdoorsy type, I was completely out of my element.

A woman appeared from a room that was behind the counter. She was a couple inches taller than me with short, blonde hair and striking blue eyes. As she grew closer, I could see that she hadn't slept in days and had obviously been crying not too long before I arrived.

She extended a hand out to me. "I'm Karen," she said with a very unconvincing smile. Her voice was nasally and she sounded as if she had a cold. "Goodness, you look just like Renee."

Karen had been the only person to bring up my mother. Taken aback, it took me a few moments to respond. "Y-Yes," I stammered. "Thank you."

She laughed quietly. "Your mother and I were good friends when she still lived here. We lost touch a couple of years after she left. You'll have to tell her I said hello."

"I definitely will." I didn't dare bring up that Renee had been here not too long ago when she visited me in the hospital. I feared it would hurt her feelings, and from the looks of it, that was the last thing she needed.

Thankfully, Karen dropped the subject and we jumped right into my training. It wasn't a difficult process to learn and I surprised myself by how quickly I caught on. She spent one hour with me, teaching me the ropes, before telling me that was all I needed to know.

"That's it?" I asked.

She laughed and clapped her hands once. "Yes, that's it." She walked towards the front door and flipped on the "OPEN" sign and unlocked the door. I was stunned; I hadn't even noticed that she had locked it. She looked over her shoulder and grinned at me. "You didn't think I was so horrible as to train you while we are open, did you?"

I smiled back at her. I could tell her and I were going to get along just fine.

"When Mike . . ." she paused to compose herself. "When my son would train new employees, he would leave the store open. Customers would come in and the poor trainees would be so nervous. First days are bad enough as it is without any extra pressure, don't you think?"

I nodded. "I think it's safe to say I was beyond nervous myself, Mrs. Newton."

She seemed to shudder the slightest bit. "Oh, please, call me Karen. You have no reason to be nervous - you did wonderfully!"

My heart ached for her. I could tell she was trying so hard to keep herself together for my benefit. I wasn't usually an affectionate person, but all I wanted to do was hug her and tell her that it was okay to cry. Honestly, I probably needed a good cry myself. Given that my emotions were all over the place and my subconscious mind was preventing me from processing them like I should, I had a feeling I wouldn't be able to cry, no matter how hard I tried.

"Thanks, Karen," I said with an empathetic smile. I knew there was nothing I would be able to say to console her.

Her eyes were glistening as she looked away. "Well, if you're comfortable, I'll leave you to it then. I just have a few . . . arrangements I have to make. I'll be in the back room if you need me."

I nodded in approval. She threw one more smile my way before disappearing through the office door, shutting it behind her.

Shortly afterward, a few customers came and went. Thankfully, I was able to help them all with their purchases without incident. The job was extremely easy and just enough of a distraction to keep my mind from wandering. Even though I thought of the tire tracks from my accident two nights ago every few minutes, I was usually interrupted before I could drive myself crazy with any ridiculous theories.

Most of the customers recognized me as Charlie's daughter, which was extremely uncomfortable. "You're Isabella Swan, aren't you?" seemed to be the most popular question in town for the day. I guessed I couldn't necessarily blame them. This was the first time I was in a public place in Forks for a prolonged period of time. All I could hope for was that this would only happen for a little longer before I could go back to pretending I was invisible.

Before I knew it, it was 1:30. I only had thirty minutes left on my shift. A part of me wanted to offer to work longer for Karen. Occasionally, I could overhear her on the phone in the back office. It sounded to me like she was arranging a funeral. I couldn't imagine being in her position while simultaneously running an entire store.

As I was about to knock on the office door to ask Karen if I could be of any further help, a brown-haired man that was maybe a few years older than me walked up to the counter with an entire cart full of camping supplies. I returned to the register and proceeded to ring up his items.

"You're Bella Swan," he said in a matter-of-fact voice. My head shot up in surprise. First of all, he didn't ask me, he was _telling_ me. Secondly, he had called me Bella instead of Isabella. I was immediately suspicious and peered at him through narrowed eyes, wondering if I knew him from somewhere, but his face wasn't at all familiar to me.

I was extremely hesitant to respond but didn't want to seem rude either. I scrambled to come up with what to say to him.

He held his hands up, recognizing my discomfort. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I can't imagine how creepy that probably sounded," he said, flashing a smile at me. "My name is Jonathan."

Still skeptical, I attempted to return the smile but decided not to confirm my identity. "No problem," I lied.

"It's just there is someone that's been looking for you. He was showing your picture around town a little over a week ago."

I dropped the bundle of rope I had been trying to ring up. My hands were shaking as I placed it back on the counter. "What did you just say?" I snapped.

"I didn't mean any offense," Jonathan said, his eyes wide. "He seemed really worried about you. He was giving out his number and asking people to call him if anyone saw you."

The man pulled his cell phone out of his pocket as I watched in utter horror. Before I could beg him not to make that call, a flash of white grabbed his wrist, sending the cell phone flying onto the counter in front of me.

"I would not do that if I were you," Edward growled.

"Wh-what?" Jonathan stuttered, his face draining of all color.

My stomach flipped and my knees buckled. The entire room seemed to tilt as I leaned against the counter, hoping I wouldn't faint.

Edward leaned in closer towards the man, his expression absolutely livid. "This is not the girl you saw in that picture."

"That's definitely her and he was offering money to find-"

"He didn't offer you anything," Edward interrupted. "You're mistaken."

"I am?" Jonathan asked, dazed.

"Yes, extremely." His voice was now eerily calm. Edward picked up the cell phone with his left hand, his right hand still gripping Jonathan's wrist. He handed it to me. "Find the number and delete it."

I immediately obeyed, flipping through the contacts in the man's phone. I searched for Allyn's name, but it wasn't there. I focused on the phone numbers themselves, looking for an Arizona area code, but I didn't recognize any of them.

"It's not here," I whispered.

Edward, not taking his eyes off of Jonathan, held his hand out for the phone. I placed it in his palm, and with one quick movement, he snapped it in half. He placed the pieces of the cell phone in his jacket pocket and leaned in close again.

"You never saw a man. You never saw a picture. And this little encounter didn't happen. Understand?" Edward whispered, his butterscotch eyes fierce. Despite his quiet voice, there was no mistaking that this was a serious warning.

"Uh huh," Jonathan whimpered. "I understand."

"Good," Edward said with a menacing smile. He finally released his hold on Jonathan's wrist, his hand now a frightening shade of purple from the lack of circulation. "Now get out."

Jonathan immediately fled from the store, bolting out of the front door and tripping over his own feet as he scrambled into the front seat of his car. His tires squealed as he peeled out of the parking lot.

"Bella?" Edward asked, looking pointedly at my face.

I realized that I had forgotten to breathe. I sucked in a deep breath and coughed, still bracing myself against the counter. "What am I going to do?" I whispered to myself, my voice hoarse.

"Well first, I think you should sit down. I don't like the color you're turning."

I simply shook my head. I didn't want to sit down. But I didn't want to be standing up either. I focused on steadying my breathing as an overwhelming feeling of panic consumed me.

A door opened somewhere behind me, but I couldn't bring myself to look. "Bella? Are you alright, sweetie?" Karen asked.

"She had a bit of an accident a while back and isn't completely healed just yet," Edward explained.

"Oh, honey, why didn't you tell me!" Karen placed a warm hand on my shoulder. "Charlie mentioned that you had quite a fall. I'm so sorry, I wish I had known you weren't feeling well."

I waved dismissively. "I'm fine. Just tired, that's all."

Karen pursed her lips, not at all convinced. "Edward, why don't you take her home? I can finish ringing up everything left in your cart."

Edward raised his hand and threw her a brilliant smile. "No need," he reassured her. "I'll just come back for it all later." I could tell he was amused with himself.

"Alright, that's fine. And Bella? If you don't feel up to working tomorrow, I'll completely understand," Karen said, concerned.

"I'll be here, bright and early," I promised.

Edward slipped his arm around my waist, leading me to his car. Once we were both inside the Volvo, I turned to face him. "How did you _do_ that?" I demanded.

His eyebrows came together, confused. "How did I do what?"

"You practically hypnotized that man." I regretted the words as soon as I said them.

Edward pressed his lips together, no doubt holding back laughter, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I can be very persuasive when the situation calls for it, Bella."

"I'll say," I muttered. My head was pounding. I glanced over at him again, expecting his expression to still contain anger. But to my surprise, he looked extremely hurt or worried.

"The man who is looking for you . . . who is he?" Edward asked quietly. Despite his timid demeanor, which was very unusual compared to our other conversations, his eyes were boring into my soul.

"It's . . . it's a long story."

"I've got time," he challenged.

I looked out the window, making sure no one else was around. Thankfully, it was just my truck in the parking lot. I was slowly beginning to realize that there was simply no way around this. "Alright, take me somewhere. I don't care where we go, but I'll tell you everything."


End file.
